VOCATIONS  FOR  GIRLS 


BY 

MARY  A.  LASELLE 

AND 

KATHERINE  E.  WILEY 

Instructors  in  the  Technical  High  School, 
Newton,  Massachusetts 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

MEYER  BLOOMFIELD 
Director  of  the  Vocation  Bureau  of  Boston 


BOSTON    NEW  YORK    CHICAGO 
HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

flilierslbc  press  Cambri&0e 


Ifp 


COPYRIGHT,   1913,  BY  MARY  A.  LASELLE  AND 
KATHERINE   E.   WILEY 


PREFACE 

THE  object  of  this  book  is  to  give  to  young 
girls,  and  those  responsible  for  the  guidance  of 
girls,  some  definite  information  as  to  conditions 
of  work  in  the  more  common  vocations.  The 
facts  were  secured,  with  the  cooperation  of  the 
Vocation  Bureau  of  Boston,  from  many  sources: 
the  superintendents  of  large  department  stores, 
the  director  of  a  school  of  salesmanship,  the  man- 
agers of  several  manufacturing  establishments, 
the  head  nurses  of  city  hospitals,  the  principals  of 
technical,  trade,  textile,  and  commercial  schools, 
the  manager  of  a  telephone  school,  the  head  of 
a  department  of  household  economics,  several 
librarians,  state,  city,  and  town  school  super- 
intendents, have  all  furnished  information  in 
regard  to  work  in  the  several  vocations;  teach- 
ers, nurses,  cooks,  milliners,  dressmakers,  and 
employees  in  stores,  factories,  and  telephone 
exchanges  have  also  given  many  facts  as  to  con- 
ditions of  work.  The  book  has  been  written  by 
two  teachers  who  have  worked  with  many  young 
people,  and  their  hope  is  that  it  may  help  girls, 
who  must  make  their  way  in  the  world,  to  find 
the  work  for  which  they  are  best  fitted  by  natural 
ability  and  by  training. 


331085 


iv  PREFACE 

The  authors  desire  especially  to  express  their 
thanks  for  information,  criticism,  and  advice  to 
Professor  Henry  W.  Holmes,  Harvard  Univer- 
sity; Professor  Carl  H.  Grabo,  Chicago  Uni- 
versity; Professor  James  Q.  Dealey,  Brown 
University;  Dr.  Frank  E.  Spaulding,  Super- 
intendent of  Schools,  Newton,  Massachusetts ; 
Mr.  Walter  A.  Hawkins,  Manager,  Jordan 
Marsh  Co. ;  Mrs.  Lucinda  W.  Prince,  Director, 
School  of  Salesmanship,  Women's  Educational 
and  Industrial  Union,  Boston;  Mr.  Frederick 
J.  Allen,  Vocation  Bureau  of  Boston;  Mr. 
Irving  O.  Palmer,  Principal,  Newton  Technical 
High  School ;  Mr.  Otto  Fleischner  and  Miss 
Alice  M.  Jordan,  Boston  Public  Library. 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION  By  Meyer  Bloomfield vii 

I.  FOREWORD i 

II.  SALESMANSHIP 5 

III.  STENOGRAPHY  AND  TYPEWRITING     .    .    14 

IV.  THE  TELEPHONE  OPERATOR     ....    26 

V.  WORK  IN  A   MANUFACTURING  ESTAB- 
LISHMENT   3° 

VI.  COOKING 40 

VII.  NURSING 44 

VIII.  SEWING  AND  MILLINERY 49 

IX.  THE  MODERN  TEACHER 54 

X.  KlNDERGARTENING  AND  THE  MONTES- 

SORI  SYSTEM 61 

XI.  LIBRARY  WORK 66 

XII.  DOMESTIC  SERVICE 73 

XIII.  THE  GIRL  WHO  STAYS  AT  HOME  ...    79 

XIV.  VOCATIONS  FOR  THE  COUNTRY  GIRL    .    87 

XV.  VOCATIONS  PLUS  AVOCATIONS  ....    91 

XVI.  THE  SUCCESSFUL  GIRL 97 

XVII.  STATISTICS  ON  VOCATIONS  FOR  GIRLS.  102 

XVIII.  FAMOUS  WOMEN  WORKERS 105 

XIX.  CONCLUSION.  .  .,..108 


vi  CONTENTS 

APPENDIX 

WHAT  GREAT  AUTHORS  HAVE  SAID  ABOUT 
WORK in 

QUESTIONS  ON  THE  TEXT 119 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 130 

OUTLINE 133 


INTRODUCTION 

THAT  two  teachers,  busy  with  the  profes- 
sional demands  of  a  large  high  school,  should, 
on  their  own  initiative,  have  undertaken  the 
labor  of  the  present  volume  is  significant. 

Long  detached  from  the  influences  which 
have  been  changing  industrial  processes,  busi- 
ness management,  working  conditions,  and  the 
demands  upon  the  resources  of  the  individual 
worker,  the  public  schools  have  within  the  past 
decade  found  themselves  hard-pressed  fora  truer 
adjustment  to  contemporary  life. 

The  fact  is  unquestioned  that  the  traditional 
schooling  of  the  average  boy  and  girl  has  not 
enabled  them  to  fit  satisfactorily  into  modern 
working-life.  The  entrance  into  the  common 
employments  by  a  large  number  of  our  school- 
children has  caused  serious  misgivings  concern- 
ing their  futures,  both  as  citizens  and  as  bread- 
winners. Our  schools  have  been  without  that 
necessary  contact  with  their  economic  environ- 
ment which  would  make  them  fully  responsive 
to  the  fundamental  demand  for  efficient  liveli- 
hood. The  average  employer,  also,  has  been  ill- 
prepared  to  cooperate  most  effectively  with  the 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

public  school  in  meeting  this  demand,  or  even 
to  grasp  in  a  large  measure  the  deeper  social 
purposes  underlying  the  vocational  movement 
in  education. 

In  the  main  it  has  been  wholesome,  doubtless, 
for  the  school  to  receive  criticism  from  men 
of  affairs ;  and  a  proof  of  our  educational  vitality 
is  the  response  which  has  been  experienced  by 
the  vocational  education  and  the  vocational 
guidance  movements,  both  of  which  give  pro- 
mise of  a  more  socially  profitable  cooperation  be- 
tween school-life  and  working-life.  Now  that  the 
aims  of  vocational  training  are  better  understood, 
and  perhaps  more  wisely  advocated,  there  is 
seen  the  need  of  individualizing  our  educational 
programs  in  order  to  meet  the  basic  differen- 
tiations in  child  capacity,  —  the  varying  pur- 
poses, needs,  and  probable  life-pursuits  of  the 
children.  That  preparation  for  life  to  which 
education  of  whatever  kind  presumably  dedi- 
cates itself  can  satisfy  the  restlessness  of  youth, 
in  its  reaching  out  for  a  share  in  the  activities 
surrounding  it,  only  by  genuinely  reflecting  the 
concrete  interests  of  life. 

The  movement  for  training  youth  for  efficient 
self-support  is  materially  sustained  by  a  grow- 
ing effort  to  safeguard  that  training  for  the 
child's  continuous  welfare.  What  if  we  do  pre- 
pare our  children  for  working-life  ?  Are  -we  sure 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

that  we  have  then  served  the  child,  the  employer, 
and  society  each  to  its  best  advantage  ?  To  an- 
swer this  question,  as  far  as  possible,  educators, 
through  the  methods  and  viewpoint  of  the  voca- 
tional guidance  movement,  have  been  scrutiniz- 
ing the  forces  which  have  challenged  them  to 
be  more  practical.  There  is  deep  concern  that 
the  child,  trained  and  fitted  for  life,  shall  find 
fulfillment  of  his  best  in  the  work  he  undertakes. 
The  schools  can  be  more  practical  only  on  con- 
dition that  the  occupations  shall  be  more  ideal. 
In  the  interest  of  both  school  efficiency  and 
work  efficiency,  therefore,  the  vocational  guid- 
ance service  has  come  into  being. 

The  authors  of  this  book  have  rendered  ser- 
vice of  a  kind  which  we  shall  find  more  common 
as  teachers  grow  increasingly  discontented  with 
mere  classroom  contact,  unillumined  by  knowl- 
edge of  what  the  world  outside  is  doing  with  the 
children  who  have  passed  through  their  hands. 

The  problem  of  helping  the  girl  to  prepare 
herself  for  a  successful  career,  while  at  the  same 
time  enabling  her  to  shape  her  life  for  her 
traditional  home  functions,  is  at  once  a  delicate 
and  difficult  one.  The  considerations  in  a  girl's 
choice  of  a  vocation  are  necessarily  more  com- 
plicated than  in  the  case  of  the  boy.  These 
essentials  have  not  been  lost  sight  of  in  this 
book. 


x  INTRODUCTION 

For  the  elementary  school  the  book  will  pro- 
vide fascinating  material  for  classroom  work ; 
as  a  reference  book,  it  will  supply  advisory  mate- 
rial for  those  who  can  be  persuaded  to  go  on 
with  their  training  in  order  to  become  eligible  for 
employments  far  more  profitable  than  those 
open  to  the  untrained  fourteen-year-old  girl. 
The  high  school,  because  of  the  vocational 
motive  which  the  present  volume  will  stimulate 
and  the  vocational  information  which  it  provides, 
will  be  aided  to  render  that  service,  which  has 
been  described  as  "  the  primary  social  function 
of  all  education."  "  Since  an  individual's  greatest 
capacity  for  service  and  for  happiness,"  Profes- 
sor Hanus  reminds  us,  "  depends  on  the  discov- 
ery and  cultivation  of  his  permanent  interest 
and  real  abilities,  the  pupil's  gradual  self-rev- 
elation is  one  of  the  most  important  functions  in 
secondary  education." 

To  the  social  worker  and  that  increasing 
number  of  vocationally  alert  officials  connected 
with  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations, 
child-welfare  agencies,  public  libraries,  and  other 
institutions,  this  book  will  be  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  all  too  few  instruments  now  at  hand  for 
helping  our  young  people  to  find  both  a  life 
and  a  livelihood  in  the  work  of  the  world. 

MEYER  BLOOMFIELD. 

THE  VOCATION  BUREAU 
BOSTON 


VOCATIONS  EQK  G1E1S 


FOREWORD 

ONE  has  only  to  stand  during  the  early  morn- 
ing hours  in  the  waiting-room  of  a  station  in  a 
large  city  and  observe  the  thousands  of  young 
working- worn  en  who  arrive  on  every  incoming 
train,  to  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  much 
of  the  work  of  that  great  city  is  in  the  hands  of 
these  competent-looking  young  girls. 

In  appearance  the  most  of  them  are  alert, 
energetic,  well-dressed,  and  prepossessing.  The 
exceptions  to  those  described  above  constitute 
a  very  small  percentage  of  the  entire  number. 
They  are  exceptions  which  only  prove  the  rule. 

The  vocations  in  which  these  girls  are  en- 
gaged are  many  and  diverse.  Probably  the 
greatest  number  of  these  women  are  clerks  and 
saleswomen  in  department  stores;  stenogra- 
phers, typewriters,  and  bookkeepers  make  up  a 
large  percentage  of  the  total;  teachers,  dress- 
makers, milliners,  seamstresses,  factory  girls, 
nurses,  and  many  others  are  found  in  this  work- 
ing-women's army ;  an  army  whose  equipment 


2  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

is  ehar'acterj  native^  ability,  training,  and  experi- 
ence. 

••"•  Th'Qr  Tslze.- of  these  crowds  of  working-girls 
leads  one  to  think  of  the  great  competition  in 
the  world  of  work  and  of  the  large  number  of 
applicants  for  each  desirable  position  ;  and  this 
thought  leads  to  that  of  the  training'  of  the 
worker. 

The  look  of  efficiency,  of  consciousness  of 
mastery,  of  self-satisfaction,  and  even  of  joyous- 
ness  on  the  face  of  many  of  the  girls  in  the  hur- 
rying throngs  makes  one  think  hopefully  of  the 
training  that  the  most  of  these  young  persons 
have  received  for  their  vocations,  —  a  training 
which  enables  them  to  take  constant  delight  in 
their  daily  occupation. 

And  then  one's  thought  turns  regretfully  to 
the  girls  who  are  not  found  among  these  effi- 
cient-looking young  women,  either  because  they 
were  "  misfits  "  in  their  chosen  vocation,  or  were 
unfit  for  it  because  of  insufficient  training. 

One  thinks,  too,  of  the  better  adjustment  pos- 
sible between  the  work  and  the  worker,  if  the 
employer  as  well  as  the  young  employee  ana- 
lyzed  more  carefully  the  requirements  and  op- 
portunities of  each  position. 

It  is  only  in  very  recent  times  that  much 
thought  has  been  given  to  the  vocational  train- 
ing of  girls.  Many  an  energetic  and  ambitious 


FOREWORD  3 

young  woman  has  failed  to  achieve  success  in 
her  work  because  her  choice  of  a  vocation  was 
an  unwise  one.  To  choose  her  lifework  wisely 
a  girl  should  know  a  good  deal  about  her  own 
nature ;  her  innate  powers,  talents,  and  disposi-  „/ 
tion ;  her  strong  and  weak  points.  She  should 
also  know  many  facts  in  regard  to  the  work 
upon  which  she  wishes  to  enter,  in  order  that 
she  may  decide  upon  her  fitness  for  that  voca- 
tion and  the  desirability  of  tne  vocation. 

Now  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  oftentimes 
a  girl  doesjiot  understand  herself  as  well  as  do 
other  persons  who  are  greatly  interested  in  her; 
and  it  is  another  well-known  truth  that  it  is 
quite  common  for  a  girl  to  drift  into  an  occupa- 
tion of  which  she  knows  little.  The  need  of 
helping  young  people  to  get  into  the  right  work 
in  life  is  now  so  fully  recognized  that  vocational 
guidance  is  made  an  important  part  of  the  work 
of  many  public  schools,  and  great  good  is  being 
accomplished  in  that  way. 

A  glove  or  a  shoe  that  does  not  fit  well 
pinches  and  irritates  the  wearer,  and  this  con- 
dition may  be  taken  to  illustrate  in  a  small  de- 
gree the  chafing  and  irritation  of  a  person  who 
has  entered  upon  a  vocation  for  which  she  is 
not  fitted :  the  stenographer  who  should  have 
been  a  nurse,  or  the  teacher  who  should  have 
been  a  dressmaker. 


4  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  many  girls  enter 
upon  their  lif  ework  without  having  given  it  more 
thought  than  they  would  bestow  upon  the  pur- 
chase of  a  hat  or  the  plans  for  a  summer  holiday. 
To  test  this  matter  six  young  women  were 
recently  asked  why  they  entered  upon  their  re- 
spective vocations.  Miss  A,  a  typewriter,  replied, 
"  All  my  chums  were  in  this  work."  Miss  B,  a 
teacher,  "It  was  respectable  work  and  sure 
pay."  Miss  C,  a  dressmaker,  "My  mother 
thought  it  was  the  best  work  for  me."  Miss  D, 
a  nurse,  "  I  became  a  nurse  because  I  love  the 
work."  Miss  E,  a  salesgirl,  "It  seemed  to  be 
all  that  I  could  find  to  do,  as  I  had  no  special 
training."  Miss  F,  a  factory  girl,  "  I  needed 
money  right  away  and  could  not  spend  the  time 
to  prepare  myself  for  better  work." 

It  is  hoped  by  the  writers  of  this  little  book 
that  it  may  help  to  give  to  each  girl  reader  a 
good  start  towards  the  lifework  in  which  she 
will  be  most  contented  and  efficient. 


II 

SALESMANSHIP 

WHILE  the  work  of  a  salesgirl  often  appeals 
to  the  young  girl  of  no  particular  talent, — the 
girl  who  must  earn  money  but  who  has  not 
shown  any  especial  aptitude  for  housework, 
sewing,  cooking,  care  of  children,  skill  in  manip- 
ulating textiles  or  machinery,  —  store  managers 
are  searching  more  and  more  for  the  alert,  in- 
telligent girl  who  can  be  trained  to  become  a 
high-class  saleswoman.  For  this  type  of  girl  the 
store  offers  a  fairly  good  position.  She  must  be 
neat,  not  uncouth  in  appearance,  and  should 
have  good  health.  For  such  a  girl,  if  she  is 
trustworthy,  ambitious,  and  persevering,  the  de- 
partment store  offers  a  position  that  will  lead 
to  better  ones. 

At  the  present  time  the  better  class  of  de- 
partment stores  have  schools  of  salesmanship 
in  which  natural  talent  and  thorough  work  are 
noticed  and  rewarded.  Salesmanship  is  becom- 
ing a  profession  in  which  character,  skill,  tact, 
and  energy  bring  as  great  financial  and  other 
rewards  as  they  do  in  other  lines  of  effort. 

It  is  difficult  to  make  general  statements  in 


6  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

regard  to  the  question  of  the  salary  of  a  sales- 
girl, as  department  stores  differ  as  to  the  mini- 
mum and  maximum  wage  paid  their  employees; 
although  the  larger  stores  do  not  differ  greatly 
in  this  respect. 

The  amounts  given  here  are  approximately 
the  average  salaries  paid  by  the  largest  depart- 
ment stores  in  an  eastern  city.  As  will  be  ex- 
plained, some  stores,  in  addition  to  the  fixed 
salary,  offer  a  commission  on  sales  that  exceed 
a  certain  amount,  and  many  stores  offer  a  small 
commission  on  all  sales  during  the  holiday 
season. 

In  the  city  mentioned  above,  one  large  store 
has  very  successfully  developed  a  system  of  co- 
operation which  gives  to  the  employees  the  power 
of  making  rules  under  which  they  work.  The 
result  of  this  system  has  been  great  prosperity 
for  the  management  and  exceptionally  satisfac- 
tory conditions  of  work  for  the  employees.  Few 
stores  have  developed  this  method  of  manage- 
ment, but  the  conditions  in  department  stores 
are  becoming  more  and  more  favorable  for  the 
employees,  because  of  an  awakened  public  con- 
science and  the  influence  of  certain  high-class 
stores. 

A  girl  may  enter  a  store  in  the  lowest  of  the 
minor  positions,  a  marker.  Accuracy  and  speed 
are  the  qualities  most  in  demand  here,  and  the 


SALESMANSHIP  7 

pay  is  small,  —  four  dollars  to  eight  dollars  per 
week. 

The  next  step  would  be  to  take  care  of  stock. 
This  is  a  better  position,  and  the  girl  is  now  in 
line  for  a  salesgirl's  position.  The  pay  is  about 
the  same  as  that  of  a  marker. 

The  cashiers  and  bundle  girls  examine  goods 
to  be  sent  out,  remove  tags,  and  examine  sales- 
checks.  They  must  not  become  confused  when 
a  great  number  of  parcels  and  sales-slips  are 
before  them,  and  they  must  handle  these  very 
rapidly. 

Next  comes  the  salesgirl's  position.  She  re- 
presents the  store,  and  should  feel  her  respons- 
ibility. Her  manner  of  approaching  the  customer 
oftentimes  robs  the  store  of  large  sales.  Possi- 
bly a  customer  enters  a  store  intending  to  buy 
some  neckwear  and  a  valuable  coat  and  some 
furs.  As  the  neckwear  is  usually  on  the  street 
floor,  she  naturally  stops  at  that  counter.  If  the 
salesgirl  there  is  indifferent  or  rude,  the  cus- 
tomer becomes  indignant  and  leaves  the  store 
without  purchasing  the  coat  and  the  furs. 

An  intelligent  salesgirl  must  know  her  stock 
thoroughly,  and  she  should  know  human  nature. 
She  must  be  tactful  and  helpful.  Some  custom- 
ers need  much  help  in  making  a  decision,  while 
others  resent  such  assistance.  The  salesgirl 
should  study  her  customer  and  say  just  enough 


8  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

in  regard  to  the  goods  to  arouse  a  desire  for 
them.  If  she  forces  the  wrong  article  upon  a 
buyer,  the  goods  will  be  returned,  and  this  is 
an  expense  to  the  store.  If  many  goods  are  re- 
turned, the  fact  counts  seriously  against  the 
standing  of  the  clerk.  The  salesgirl  should  be 
eager  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  customer.  If 
the  article  desired  is  not  in  stock,  she  should 
quietly  suggest  something  to  take  its  place.  We 
will  suppose  a  lady  wishes  to  purchase  a  black 
silk  apron,  and  there  is  none  in  stock.  The 
salesgirl  could  suggest  a  mohair  apron  and  show 
its  points  of  superiority  over  the  silk  one.  The 
clerk  must  get  from  the  customer  (i)  attention, 
(2)  interest,  (3)  desire,  (4)  decision.  If  the  girl 
is  inattentive  or  indifferent  between  the  third 
step,  desire,  and  the  fourth,  decision,  the  sale 
will  be  lost.  Then,  too,  the  saleswoman  must 
not  show  new  goods  only.  The  older  goods 
must  be  brought  forward  and  made  desirable. 
She  should  not  say  to  the  customer,  "  Shall  we 
send  this?"  as  that  means  an  expenditure  to 
the  store.  She  should  say,  "Will  you  take  this  ? " 
The  salary  of  a  competent  saleswoman  ranges 
from  six  to  twenty  dollars  per  week.  She  should 
sell  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of 
goods  each  week  to  receive  six  dollars.  Many 
stores  offer  a  commission  on  sales  in  excess  of 
this  amount.  Then,  if  a  girl  sells  two  hundred 


SALESMANSHIP  9 

and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  goods  she  receives 
eight  dollars. 

The  next  step  is  to  be  made  Head  of  Stock. 
This  work  consists  in  taking  care  of  the  stock 
of  the  department  and  keeping  it  moving,  ar- 
ranging for  bargain  sales,  etc.  The  salary  for 
this  work  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  dollars. 

Then  comes  the  Assistant  Buyer.  This  per- 
son attends  to  special  orders  and  receives  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  dollars. 

The  highest  position  is  that  of  the  Buyer. 
This  person  must  have  the  nerve  and  judgment 
required  to  take  great  risks.  Each  department 
is  run  as  a  separate  store,  and  great  responsi- 
bility rests,  therefore,  upon  the  buyer  of  goods 
for  the  department.  In  these  days  there  are 
many  women  buyers,  and  the  salaries  are  good, 
ranging  from  one  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
dollars  per  year.  In  New  York,  a  number  of 
women  are  receiving  five  thousand  dollars  a 
year  for  doing  this  work. 

Among  the  supposed  disadvantages  of  a  girl's 
life  in  a  store  are  the  long  hours,  the  constant 
standing,  the  strain  of  handling  vexatious  cus- 
tomers with  constant  tact  and  courtesy,  the 
knowledge  that  one  may  be  dismissed  without 
warning,  and  the  fear  that  in  the  large  number 
of  clerks  one's  work  will  be  overlooked. 

We  might  say  in  regard  to  these  disadvan- 


io  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

tages  that  the  hours  are  no  longer  than  those 
which  the  teacher  or  other  professional  worker 
gives  to  her  work,  and  as  the  law  in  several  states 
now  requires  seats  for  employees,  the  amount 
of  work  done  in  a  standing  position  is  not  greater 
where  the  law  is  enforced  than  that  of  the  ordi- 
nary domestic  worker,  and  the  energetic,  am- 
bitious girl  is  not  likely  to  be  overlooked.  If  she 
is,  she  has  only  to  call  upon  the  manager  with 
her  sales-slips  in  order  to  convince  him  that  her 
sales  are  out  of  proportion  to  her  salary. 

The  opportunity  afforded  in  a  large  store  for 
the  study  of  human  nature  is  one  that  is  of  great 
value  to  any  person.  The  sharp-eyed  saleswoman 
soon  learns  to  distinguish  between  the  real  and 
the  false,  the  genuine  and  the  shoddy.  All  sorts 
and  conditions  of  humanity  pass  before  her  eyes 
each  day,  and  she  learns  something  from  each 
specimen.  Her  most  important  lesson  is  the  one 
of  values.  To  be  sure,  the  young  girl  often  makes 
mistakes  and  is  prone  to  base  a  judgment  upon 
surface  conditions.  The  writer  notices,  for  in- 
stance, that  when  she  wears,  upon  a  shopping 
expedition,  a  street  suit  that  is  of  excellent  ma- 
terial and  cut,  she  is  treated  with  more  consid- 
eration than  when  attired  in  a  rainy-day  suit. 
It  must  be  said,  however,  that  salesgirls  are  not 
the  only  persons  whose  estimate  of  a  stranger 
is  based  largely  upon  clothing. 


SALESMANSHIP  n 

The  better-class  stores  are  realizing  more  and 
more  the  importance  of  more  efficient  clerks. 
The  personality  and  the  efficiency  of  the  indi- 
vidual clerk  is  the  greatest  factor  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  store.  As  has  been  said,  the  larger 
stores  now  send  their  new  employees  to  a  sales- 
manship-school during  a  part  of  the  day.  In 
one  large  city  there  is  such  a  school,  and  the 
larger  department  stores  send  their  clerks  to 
it  for  three  hours  a  day  four  days  in  the  week. 
The  clerks  receive  six  dollars  a  week  while  in 
the  school.  They  are  taught  how  to  sell  goods 
by  means  of  actual  demonstration  sales  in  the 
school,  and  they  receive  instruction  in  textiles, 
fabrics,  and  design.  They  are  taken  to  different 
mills  to  study  the  manufacture  of  fabrics,  and 
to  the  Art  Museum  to  study  design. 

A  summary  of  the  work  of  a  salesgirl  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  for  a  girl  of  energy,  am- 
bition, good  physical  health  and  character,  the 
work  promises  fair  rewards.  There  are  few  pro- 
fessional people  —  almost  ne-^woroen  —  who  re- 
ceive so  large  a  salary  as  do  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  women  buyers  in  the  large  city  stores, 
though  these  positions  are  relatively  few.  Then, 
too,  many  of  the  employees  of  the  higher  grades 
in  the  better  class  of  stores  are  socially  on  a  par 
with  professional  people  everywhere. 

A  very  modest  little  gentleman  has  stood  for 


12  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

many  years  at  a  certain  counter  in  a  high-class 
city  store.  One  Sunday  the  writer  noticed  this 
man  collecting  the  offertory  in  one  of  the  largest 
churches  in  the  city.  It  was  found  that  he  was 
a  warden  of  that  church,  and  that  he  and  his 
family  were  persons  of  importance  in  the  social 
life  of  the  suburb  in  which  they  lived.  He  pos- 
sessed a  large  library  and  was  a  recognized  au- 
thority upon  local  history. 

A  salesgirl  needs  to  have  an  avocation  which 
will  broaden  and  deepen  her  intellectual  life. 
She  should  mingle  with  people  of  wide  interests, 
and  by  reading,  social  intercourse,  lectures,  and 
other  agencies  prevent  herself  from  falling  into 
the  rut  of  mere  clerkship.  She  will  be  a  better 
clerk  as  she  becomes  more  of  a  woman  of  in- 
fluence in  the  community  in  which  she  lives. 

The  day  of  the  silly,  indifferent,  freakishly 
attired  salesgirl  seems  to  be  passing,  and  the  era 
of  the  intelligent,  skillful,  energetic,  ambitious 
saleswoman  is  just  opening.  The  advent  of  this 
better  time  is  welcomed  by  scores  of  shoppers, 
and  still  more  eagerly  by  the  owners  and  man- 
agers of  our  large  stores.  Here,  as  everywhere, 
"there  is  always  room  at  the  top." 

Public-spirited  men  and  women,  individually 
or  through  organization,  are  cooperating  with 
the  best  types  of  stores  to  make  department- 
store  work  represent  good  conditions,  fair  treat- 


SALESMANSHIP  13 

ment,  adequate  pay,  and  high  standards  of  ser- 
vice to  the  customer. 

There  are  good  stores  and  poor  stores  ;  stores 
in  which  the  moral  tone  of  the  management 
and  employees  is  high,  and  others  in  which  it 
is  not.  No  girl  should  remain  as  an  employee 
in  a  store  in  which  the  physical  conditions  en- 
danger her  health  or  the  general  atmosphere 
contaminates  her  soul.  There  are  high-class 
stores  in  which  the  managers  are  seeking  for 
girls  "  whose  armor  is  their  honest  thought," 
and  in  such  a  store  the  faithful,  energetic  sales- 
woman can  find  satisfactory  and  lucrative  work. 


Ill 

STENOGRAPHY   AND   TYPEWRITING 

THE  occupation  of  a  stenographer  is  in  many 
respects  one  of  the  pleasantest  of  occupations 
open  to  girls,  and  for  that  reason  many  girls 
seek  to  become  stenographers  who  are  not 
adapted  to  the  work.  Let  the  prospective  steno- 
grapher ask  herself  in  all  seriousness  whether 
or  not  she  has  the  necessary  qualifications  for 
a  successful  stenographer;  and  if  the  answer  is 
in  the  negative,  let  her  resolutely  seek  some 
other  field  of  usefulness,  for  why  should  she 
attempt  the  impossible,  why  should  she  try  to 
"  fit  a  square  peg  into  a  round  hole "  ?  If  her 
spelling  of  believe,  principal,  principle,  judg- 
ment, oblige,  and  other  words  in  common  use 
often  does  not  accord  with  that  of  Webster,  let 
her  —  at  least  until  the  reformed  spelling  has 
been  more  generally  adopted — refuse  to  spend 
her  time  in  learning  shorthand.  If  she  is  weak 
in  English,  and  through  and  thorough  seem  to 
her  to  be  synonymous,  and  she  is  capable  of 
transcribing  from  her  notes,  "the  epidemic  stud- 
ies of  my  high-school  course,"  let  her  confine 
her  attention  for  a  still  longer  time  to  the  aca- 


STENOGRAPHY  AND   TYPEWRITING     15 

demic  studies,  for  the  study  of  shorthand  will 
avail  her  little.  Ability  to  spell  and  a  work- 
ing knowledge  of  the  English  language,  —  these 
are  the  fundamental  requisites  for  a  successful 
stenographer,  —  requisites  so  obvious  that  it 
seems  hardly  worth  while  to  mention  them  ;  and 
yet  many  a  girl  enters  a  commercial  school  and 
pays  the  head  of  the  school  for  a  year's  tuition 
who  will  never  make  a  successful  stenographer 
because  she  is  and  always  will  be  a  poor  speller, 
or  because  she  has  but  a  meager  command  of  the 
English  language.  Beyond  these  obvious  re- 
quirements it  may  be  said  that  a  stenographer, 
more  than  persons  in  most  other  occupations, 
needs  to  start  with  a  good  education.  No  one 
should  attempt  to  become  a  stenographer  until 
she  has  completed  at  least  a  high-school  course 
or  its  equivalent. 

There  is  a  commercial  course  in  most  high 
schools  now,  and  shorthand  can  be  taken  up 
there  at  the  same  time  that  the  student  is  obtain- 
ing a  general  education.  If,  however,  shorthand 
is  not  taught  in  the  high  school,  or  if  it  seems 
advisable  to  postpone  the  study  of  stenography 
until  after  graduating  from  the  high  school, 
care  should  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  a  com- 
mercial school.  Beware  of  the  school  which 
promises  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  subject 
in  a  short  time, —  six  weeks  or  three  months. 


16  VOCATIONS    FOR   GIRLS 

The  number  of  profitable  occupations  which 
can  be  learned  in  six  weeks  is  certainly  very 
limited,  and  the  kind  of  stenography  which  can 
be  put  to  practical  use  in  a  business  office  can- 
not be  learned  in  that  time.  Probably  a  school 
year  of  ten  months  is  the  average  amount  of 
time  required  when  no  other  subject  except 
shorthand  and  typewriting  is  taken.  Beware, 
too,  of  the  school  which  promises  positions  to 
all  graduates.  Usually  this  promise  is  a  delu- 
sion and  a  snare.  The  schools  which  advertise  to 
do  this  and  which  carry  out  their  promise  place 
their  standard  for  graduation  so  high  that  it  is 
only  the  girl  of  exceptional  ability  who  grad- 
uates, and  such  a  girl  would  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  a  position  in  any  case ;  for, 
notwithstanding  the  cry  that  the  business  is 
overcrowded,  the  demand  for  competent  steno- 
graphers exceeds  the  supply.  The  graduates 
of  a  school  are  the  school's  best  advertisement. 
If  they  find  places,  and,  better  still,  keep  them, 
it  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  they  have  been 
well  taught  and  that  the  school  is  a  good  one. 
The  well-established  business  schools  give  a 
thorough  and  practical  training,  and  the  grad- 
uate from  such  a  school  is  sure  of  employment, 
for  she  is  able  to  perform  the  work  for  which 
she  is  hired. 

There  are  numerous  systems  of  shorthand 


STENOGRAPHY   AND   TYPEWRITING     17 

in  use.  The  greater  number  of  these  are  Pit- 
manic  systems,  so  called  because  they  are  mod- 
ifications of  the  system  invented  by  Sir  Isaac 
Pitman.  There  are  also  a  number  of  light-line 
systems  (so  called  because  none  of  the  charac- 
ters are  shaded).  These  are  of  more  recent 
adoption,  but  have  been  tested  by  the  busi- 
ness world  and  are  not  found  wanting.  On  the 
whole,  one  cannot  go  far  wrong  in  selecting 
any  system  which  has  stood  the  test  of  practi- 
cal work  ;  therefore,  let  the  selection  of  a  sys- 
tem be  secondary  to  the  selection  of  a  school  — 
for  a  good  school  will  not  be  encumbered  with 
a  poor  system  of  stenography. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  the  study  of  short- 
hand is  the  number  of  possibilities  open  to  the 
good  stenographer  on  the  completion  of  her 
course.  Of  all  these  possibilities,  perhaps  work 
for  the  Government  is  the  most  attractive  to 
the  beginner,  for  that  is  a  field  in  which  she  is 
on  the  same  plane  as  the  experienced  worker. 
To  enter  the  Government  employ,  both  she  and 
her  experienced  sister  must  pass  the  same  ex- 
amination. This  examination  usually  requires  : 
"  (i)  Copying  on  the  typewriter  of  (a)  a  plain 
copy ;  (b)  correction  of  rough  draft ;  (c)  tabula- 
tion ;  and  (2)  transcription  from  dictation  at  the 
rates  of  one  hundred  words  per  minute,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  words  per  minute,  and  one 


18  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

hundred  and  fifty  words  per  minute  (optional). 
In  some  examinations  a  test  for  low  speed  of 
eighty  words  per  minute  may  be  given.  Tran- 
scription from  dictation  will  be  marked  on  ac- 
curacy, speed,  technique,  spacing,  punctuation, 
capitalization,  and  spelling."1  The  examination 
given  by  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission is  similar  to  that  given  above.  The  dic- 
tated matter  is  given  at  the  rates  of  eighty,  one 
hundred,  one  hundred  and  twenty,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  words  per  minute.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  dictation,  the  competitors  are 
required  to  transcribe  the  notes  of  the  eighty- 
word  test  and  of  any  one  of  the  exercises  dic- 
tated at  a  higher  rate  of  speed. 

A  position  in  a  business  office  is  the  position 
which  most  stenographic  students  expect  to 
attain.  These  positions  are  many  and  varied. 
There  is  the  position  paying  but  little,  say  six 
or  eight  dollars  per  week.  In  such  a  position 
usually  all  the  employer  requires  is  to  have 
some  one  to  answer  the  telephone,  to  take 
charge  of  the  office  during  his  absence,  and  to 
write  a  few  letters.  This  is  easy  and  pleasant 
work  for  the  girl  who  wishes  to  earn  a  little 
spending-money,  but  there  is  little  chance  for 
advancement,  and  the  young  stenographer  who 

1  Quotation  from  a  pamphlet  issued  by  a  State  Civil 
Service  Commission. 


STENOGRAPHY   AND   TYPEWRITING     19 

enters  this  type  of  office  is  seldom  able  to  fill 
a  more  lucrative  position  later  on,  even  if  an 
opportunity  offers.  If  it  becomes  necessary  for 
her  to  make  a  change,  she  finds  she  has  not 
increased  her  ability  as  a  stenographer,  but,  in- 
deed, has  rather  lessened  it,  and  is  not  as  well 
fitted  to  fill  a  more  difficult  position  as  she  was 
on  the  day  she  left  school. 

Sometimes,  however,  a  girl  enters  an  office 
for  six  or  eight  dollars  a  week  with  the  distinct 
understanding  that  the  regular  pay  for  the  posi- 
tion she  is  to  fill  is  ten  or  twelve  dollars,  and 
that  she  will  receive  that  amount  as  soon  as  she 
becomes  sufficiently  familiar  with  her  duties  to 
be  able  to  earn  it.  This  is  a  most  excellent  ar- 
rangement, for  no  one  is  able  to  fill  a  fairly  dif- 
ficult office  position  successfully  during  the  first 
few  weeks.  In  such  a  position  as  this  there  is 
generally  plenty  of  work  for  the  stenographer, 
—  not  only  shorthand  and  typewriting,  but  all 
sorts  of  routine  office  work  is  likely  to  come  her 
way,  and  a  knowledge  of  bookkeeping  and  the 
ability  to  write  a  good  business  hand  will  not 
come  amiss.  Such  positions  as  these,  paying 
from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  per  week,  call  for 
good  stenographers  and  quick  and  accurate 
operators  of  the  typewriter.  They  are  desirable 
positions,  and  there  is  a  chance  for  growth  in 
them,  and  an  increase  of  skill  is  apt  to  be  re- 


20  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

cognized  by  an  increase  of  salary,  —  for  em- 
ployers realize  that  capable  stenographers  are 
hard  to  get. 

The  office  positions  paying  more  than  fifteen 
dollars  a  week  often  require  no  more  skill  as  a 
stenographer  than  those  paying  ten  or  twelve 
dollars,  but  the  stenographer  in  such  a  position 
must  be  a  woman  of  exceptional  character.  She 
must  be  willing  to  assume  responsibility  and  be 
willing  and  able  to  take  the  initiative  if  circum- 
stances require  it.  Indeed,  the  stenographer 
who  would  make  a  success  of  her  work  should 
never  shun  responsibility;  rather  she  should 
welcome  it. 

We  hear  a  good  deal  nowadays  about  the 
position  of  private  secretary.  The  position  of 
private  secretary  to  one  of  the  head  men  in  a 
large  corporation  is  a  well-paid  one,  and  it  is 
generally  filled  by  the  advancement  of  some 
stenographer  in  the  office  who  has  shown  marked 
executive  ability,  who  has  proved  herself  quick 
and  accurate  as  a  stenographer  and  typist,  and  — 
above  all  —  who  can  be  trusted  not  to  talk  about 
her  employer's  affairs,  for  the  position  of  pri- 
vate secretary  is  essentially  a  confidential  one. 
Not  only  must  she  be  an  expert  stenographer, 
but  —  given  the  subject-matter —  she  must  be 
able  to  write  letters  without  dictation.  She 
should  possess  tact,  a  good  memory,  and  busi- 


STENOGRAPHY   AND   TYPEWRITING     21 

ness  ability ;  for  she  will  need  ail  of  these  quali- 
ties in  order  to  fulfill  her  chief  duty,  that  of 
relieving  her  employer  of  minor  details. 

Still  another  field  open  to  the  capable  short- 
hand writer  is  that  of  public  stenographer.  This 
work  requires  exceptional  ability  in  shorthand, 
speed  on  the  typewriter,  and  a  wide  fund  of  gen- 
eral information,  for  the  public  stenographer  is 
called  upon  to  take  dictation  on  a  great  variety 
of  subjects.  Her  success  financially  depends 
both  upon  her  ability  and  upon  the  location  of 
her  office,  which  should  be  where  there  is  a  de- 
mand for  the  services  of  a  public  stenographer, 
—  a  building  in  which  there  are  many  lawyers' 
offices  is  usually  a  desirable  location.  Some- 
times an  arrangement  is  made,  whereby  a  law- 
yer, who  has  but  occasional  need  for  the  services 
of  a  stenographer,  gives  desk-room  in  his  office 
in  exchange  for  the  writing  of  his  letters.  The 
position  of  public  stenographer  in  a  hotel  is  a 
profitable  one,  but  it  requires  a  stenographer  of 
unusual  ability  to  fill  it.  A  stenographer  in  a 
large  summer  hotel  is  able  to  live  during  the 
summer  in  a  beautiful  location  and  earn  a  sub- 
stantial salary  at  the  same  time. 

Within  a  few  years  the  needs  of  the  times 
have  given  us  the  work  of  the  social  secretary. 
She  is  employed  to  assist  the  busy  woman  of 
affairs,  sometimes  a  woman  of  society,  some- 


22  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

times  a  woman  who  is  interested  largely  in  pub- 
lic matters.  Her  duties  are,  to  keep  track  of 
her  employer's  engagements,  to  write  her  let- 
ters,— often  without  dictation, — to  gather  data 
for  matter  on  which  her  employer  is  to  make 
a  report,  to  see  to  the  issuing  of  invitations  for 
any  social  function  which  her  employer  gives, 
—  in  short,  to  look  after  details  in  order  that 
her  employer  may  be  free  to  give  her  mind  to 
larger  matters.  The  position  requires  the  exer- 
cise of  much  tact  and  judgment,  and  to  hold 
such  a  position  one  must  be  of  pleasing  person- 
ality as  well  as  an  expert  stenographer. 

The  positions  mentioned  thus  far  have  been 
for  the  girls  who  can  take  notes  in  shorthand 
with  rapidity.  But  there  are  many  girls  who 
possess  exceptional  speed  on  the  typewriter  who 
fail  as  stenographers,  and  for  such  girls  there 
are  other  opportunities  open.  These  have  come 
with  the  multigraphs,  comptometers,  adding- 
machines,  billing-machines,  and  the  adding  and 
subtracting  typewriter.  There  is  a  call  from 
the  banks  for  girls  who  can  operate  the  adding- 
machine,  and  from  all  lines  of  business  for  girls 
who  can  operate  the  billing-machine.  This  work, 
while  not  especially  remunerative,  yet  offers  a 
living  wage  to  the  skillful  operator. 

In  business  offices  where  the  phonograph  is 
in  use,  there  is  no  need  of  a  stenographer,  for 


STENOGRAPHY   AND  TYPEWRITING    23 

the  dictator  dictates  his  letters  into  the  phono- 
graph, and  the  typist  transcribes  the  letters 
from  the  phonograph. 

For  the  expert  typist  who  is  not  a  steno- 
grapher, there  is  the  work  of  transcribing  the 
notes  of  a  court  reporter  or  the  notes  taken  for 
the  press  at  a  large  convention.  Here  the  pay 
is  high,  but  the  work  must  be  exceptionally 
rapid  and  accurate.  One  typist  told  the  writer 
that  she  earned  seven  dollars  a  day  during  a 
certain  trial.  This  woman  does  unusually  rapid 
work  on  the  typewriter  and  seldom  makes  an 
error. 

On  the  whole,  an  impartial  survey  of  the  field 
of  stenography  must  lead  one  to  the  conclusion 
that  an  efficient  stenographer  will  have  no  dif- 
ficulty in  securing  well-paid  work ;  but  that  there 
are  many  inefficient  stenographers  seeking  posi- 
tions, and  that  for  such  the  pay  is  small  and 
the  future  unpromising.  The  following  table  is 
based  on  information  furnished  by  the  girls  who 
have  completed  the  commercial  course  in  a  high 
school,1  during  the  last  four  years  and  who  are 
now  working  as  stenographers  :  — 

Highest        Lowest        Average 
Salary  during  first  year  after 

graduating #12.50  $6.00  $8.48 

Salary  at  end  of  first  year  after 

graduating.    ......        15.00  7.00  9.94 

i  The  Newton,  Massachusetts,  High  School. 


24  VOCATIONS    FOR   GIRLS 

Highest  Lowest  Average 
Salary  at  end  of  second  year 

after  graduating  .....  #15.00  #8.00  £11.59 

Salary  at  end  of  third  year 

after  graduating  .....  16.00  10.25  12.78 

Salary  at  end  of  fourth  year 

after  graduating  .....        18.00  12.00 


If,  therefore,  the  work  of  a  stenographer  ap- 
peals to  a  girl,  then  let  her  see  to  it  that  she  is 
a  good  speller  and  that  she  has  a  command  of 
the  English  language.  If  she  is  weak  in  spell- 
ing, let  her  either  call  that  will  of  hers  into  use 
and  resolve  to  learn  to  spell,  or  else  let  her  take 
up  some  other  occupation  than  stenography.  To 
become  able  to  spell,  study  spelling;  study  it  in 
the  old-fashioned  way.  Get  a  speller  and  study 
twenty  words  at  a  time;  go  through  the  speller 
in  that  way,  —  review,  pick  out  difficult  words, 
pick  out  catchy  words,  study  spelling. 

If  English  is  the  would-be  stenographer's 
weak  point,  that,  too,  should  be  worked  on  sys- 
tematically. The  student  should  read  both 
widely  and  thoughtfully.  Let  her  make  a  seri- 
ous, systematic,  and  continuous  effort  to  enlarge 
her  vocabulary.  As  she  reads,  she  should  notice 
words  that  are  new  to  her,  words  that  are  not 
in  her  vocabulary,  that  she  never  uses,  that  do 
not  belong  to  her.  She  should  get  their  exact 
meaning,  —  be  familiar  with  their  derivation,  — 
consult  a  good  book  of  synonyms,  —  finally, 


STENOGRAPHY  AND   TYPEWRITING    25 

make  the  words  her  own  by  using  them.  George 
Herbert  Palmer  says  in  S elf-Cultivation  in 
English?-  "  Let  any  one  who  wants  to  see  him- 
self grow,  resolve  to  adopt  two  new  words  a 
week.  It  will  not  be  long  before  the  endless  and 
enchanting  variety  of  the  world  will  begin  to 
reflect  itself  in  his  speech  and  in  his  mind  as 
well.  A  word  used  three  times  slips  off  the 
tongue  with  entire  naturalness.  Then  it  is  ours 
forever,  and  with  it  some  phase  of  life  which 
had  been  lacking  hitherto.  For  each  word  pre- 
sents its  own  point  of  view,  discloses  a  special 
aspect  of  things,  reports  some  little  importance 
not  otherwise  conveyed,  and  so  contributes  its 
small  emancipation  to  our  tied-up  minds  and 
tongues." 

1  One  of  the  series  of  Riverside  Educational  Monographs^ 
published  by  Houghton  Mifflin  Company. 


IV 

THE    TELEPHONE    OPERATOR 

To  the  girl  who  has  no  especial  talent,  and 
who  has  not  the  means  or  the  time  to  fit  her- 
self for  some  particular  business,  the  telephone 
office  offers  an  opportunity  for  work,  for  a  girl 
is  paid  here  even  while  she  is  learning  the  work. 

In  the  large  cities  the  telephone  companies 
have  schools  where  a  girl  is  taught  to  become 
an  operator  at  the  switchboard.  The  pupil 
spends  from  a  month  to  six  weeks  in  the  school, 
and  while  there  she  is  paid  four  dollars  a  week. 
She  learns  the  use  of  the  different  parts  of  the 
switchboard,  all  phases  of  operating,  local  geo* 
graphy,  such  as  the  location  of  the  hospitals, 
police  stations,  engine-houses,  fire-alarm  stations, 
and  the  various  telephone  exchanges  of  the  city. 
She  is  also  taught  to  modulate  her  voice  (for  a 
harsh  voice  is  not  tolerated  in  a  telephone  oper- 
ator) and  to  enunciate  distinctly.  The  instructor 
takes  the  place  of  the  public,  and  gives  the  pupil 
typical  calls,  thereby  putting  to  a  thorough  test 
the  operator's  knowledge  of  the  switchboard 
and  of  the  proper  replies  which  should  be  made 
to  the  subscriber's  calls.  In  small  towns  there 


THE  TELEPHONE  OPERATOR     27 

is  no  school  for  operators,  and  the  novice  gets 
her  training  by  substituting  for  the  regular 
operators. 

The  necessary  qualifications  for  a  successful 
telephone  operator  are  good  hearing,  good  eye- 
sight, and  a  height  of  at  least  five  feet,  which 
insures  a  good  reach  at  the  keyboard.  She 
should  be  accurate,  as  well  as  quick  in  thought 
and  action.  She  must  speak  distinctly.  Most 
offices  require  that  the  operators  should  have 
completed  a  grammar-school  course,  and  they 
prefer  at  least  one  or  two  years  of  the  high- 
school  course.  Good  health  is  necessary,  for 
there  is  severe  nerve-strain  about  the  work. 
About  forty-five  per  cent  of  the  applicants  for 
admission  to  the  telephone  school  in  one  large 
city  are  rejected,  and  of  those  admitted,  about 
twenty-five  per  cent  are  afterwards  dropped  or 
resign. 

After  a  girl  has  demonstrated  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  instructor  that  she  can  become  a 
successful  operator,  she  is  transferred  to  an  ex- 
change, where  she  is  at  first  put  on  duty  during 
the  hours  of  the  least  work,  usually  at  night. 
Her  pay  is  six  dollars  a  week,  and  from  this  it 
is  advanced  to  ten  dollars,  the  maximum  wage 
for  general  operators.  If  she  shows  marked 
ability,  she  is  promoted  to  the  position  of  senior 
operator  at  a  salary  of  ten  or  eleven  dollars  per 


28  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

week.  She  is  then  in  line  for  promotion  to  the 
post  of  supervisor,  whose  duty  is,  as  the  name 
indicates,  to  supervise  the  work  of  the  opera- 
tors. The  salary  in  this  position  varies  from 
eleven  to  thirteen  dollars  per  week.  One  more 
advance  is  possible,  namely,  to  the  position  of 
chief  operator,  whose  salary  is  anywhere  from 
twelve  to  twenty-five  dollars.  The  chief  opera- 
tor is  responsible  for  the  service  given  sub- 
scribers, and  has  charge  of  the  entire  working 
force. 

Besides  the  work  for  the  telephone  companies, 
there  is  a  call  for  operators  in  private  exchanges, 
and  the  pay  here  for  a  skilled  operator  is  good, 
—  from  fifteen  dollars  a  week  up  ;  although,  un- 
fortunately, there  are  many  unskilled  operators 
in  these  private  exchanges  who  will  accept  work 
at  almost  any  price.  The  opportunity  for  ad- 
vancement in  such  a  position  is  excellent,  quite 
as  good  as  in  the  work  of  a  stenographer,  for 
the  girl  at  the  switchboard  frequently  has  oc- 
casion to  display  marked  executive  ability  and 
resourcefulness,  and  these  qualities  are  almost 
certain  to  be  noted  and  rewarded  by  her  em- 
ployer. 

The  girl  who  is  not  strong  physically  should 
never  undertake  to  become  a  telephone  opera- 
tor. One  has  but  to  visit  a  telephone  exchange 
during  a  rush  period  to  realize  this.  The  opera- 


THE  TELEPHONE  OPERATOR     29 

tor's  effort  is  to  answer  the  calls  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  given ;  but  in  a  rush  period 
several  calls  come  at  once.  Her  board  becomes 
covered  with  the  little  lights  which  indicate 
several  calls  yet  to  be  answered.  The  super- 
visor is  behind  her  to  note  any  carelessness  or 
inefficiency  on  her  part.  Then,  indeed,  does  she 
need  the  steady  nerve  which  comes  from  per- 
fect health  in  order  to  do  the  best  that  can  be 
done  under  those  circumstances.  Even  when 
the  number  of  calls  is  normal  or  below  the  aver- 
age, there  is  still  the  necessity  for  constant 
attention  so  that  calls  may  receive  prompt 
replies. 

Some  telephone  companies  are  justly  famed 
for  their  care  of  their  operators.  The  room  in 
which  they  work  is  of  necessity  light,  and  is 
usually  well-ventilated.  Pleasant  rest-rooms  are 
provided  where  the  operators  may  spend  their 
recesses,  or  may  eat  their  lunches  at  noon. 
These  rooms  are  furnished  with  a  large  read- 
ing-table, couch,  and  easy-chairs.  There  is  a 
gas  stove  for  the  use  of  girls  who  bring  their 
lunches.  The  girls  work  eight  or  nine  hours  per 
day,  with  two  rest  periods  of  fifteen  minutes 
each ;  and  there  is  a  growing  conviction  that 
the  working  hours  of  the  telephone  operator 
must  be  still  further  reduced  in  order  to  safe- 
guard her  health  and  proper  growth. 


WORK  IN  A   MANUFACTURING  ESTABLISHMENT 

OUT  of  the  many  hundreds  of  different  kinds 
of  manufacturing  establishments,  three  facto- 
ries, in  which  employees  work  under  very  favor- 
able conditions,  have  been  chosen  for  descrip- 
tion here.  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
by  any  girl  who  thinks  of  entering  a  large  man- 
ufacturing establishment,  that  in  many  manu- 
factories the  pleasant  features  described  here 
are  not  found,  and  that  the  work  is  often  a 
dreary,  monotonous  grind  in  which  the  soul  of 
the  worker  seems  to  be  dwarfed  by  the  environ- 
ment in  which  she  is  obliged  to  spend  many 
long  hours  of  each  day.  It  requires  a  strong 
physique  and  a  strong  character  to  battle  with 
the  adverse  conditions  which  prevail  in  many 
manufactories. 

To  work  day  after  day  through  a  long  period 
of  years  with  a  great  number  of  persons  who 
are  forced  to  live  upon  a  much  lower  plane  than 
that  demanded  by  the  average  self-respecting 
American  citizen  is  both  difficult  and  unpleas- 
ant. A  girl  should  inquire  very  carefully  into 
the  conditions  prevailing  in  any  factory  before 
taking  up  permanent  work  there. 


WORK   IN   A  FACTORY  31 

It  should  be  observed  that  there  are  certain 
manufactories  that  have  attracted  a  very  high 
grade  of  young  women  because  of  the  excellent 
treatment  and  conditions  provided.  As  will  be 
shown  here,  factory  work  may  be  made  attract- 
ive to  the  best  type  of  working-girl,  and  where 
so  made,  the  workers  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  other  group. 

But  while  it  is  not  thought  necessary  to  give 
here  a  detailed  description  of  the  wrong  con- 
ditions that  exist  in  some  factories,  the  fact  must 
be  emphasized  that  they  do  exist.  Some  of  them 
are  unsanitary  buildings  ;  harsh,  brutal  foremen; 
one-piece  work  ;  excessive  and  cruel  "  speeding- 
up,"  low  types  of  operatives  and  low  wages. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  generalize  upon  this  sub- 
ject, as  the  conditions  vary  so  greatly,  accord- 
ing to  the  policy  of  the  management  of  different 
factories.  For  instance,  in  some  shoe  manufac- 
tories the  conditions  under  which  the  girls  work 
are  unhealthful  and  degrading ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, one  of  the  largest  and  finest  manufac- 
tories in  the  world,  famed  for  its  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  its  employees,  is  a  shoe  factory. 

Again,  work  in  a  paper-box  factory  is  not 
rated  in  the  government  reports  as  very  satis- 
factory, and  yet  in  the  factory  of  that  kind  which 
will  be  described  here  the  most  favorable  con- 
ditions prevail, 


32  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

There  are  cotton  manufactories  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  that  are  harmful  to  the 
physical,  mental,  and  moral  health  of  the  em- 
ployee, and  there  are  others  in  which  a  woman 
could  work  without  injurious  results. 

A  girl  should  beware  of  unsanitary  surround- 
ings, deadening  work,  and  low  companionship. 
If  she  finds  these  in  any  factory  that  she  enters 
as  an  employee  she  should  promptly  seek  other 
employment. 

Of  the  great  variety  of  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments which  the  unskilled  girl  may 
enter  at  a  salary  ranging  from  three  to  seven 
dollars  per  week,  only  three  will  be  described ; 
and  in  these,  as  has  been  said,  the  most  favor- 
ble  conditions  prevail.  The  first  is  a  plant  for 
making  window  and  other  draperies.  It  is  situ- 
ated in  a  beautiful  suburb  of  a  large  city,  and 
has  been  chosen  for  description  because  of 
the  arrangement  with  a  high  school  by  which 
pupils  are  allowed  to  work  half-time  in  the  fac- 
tory. The  workrooms  are  light  and  well  venti- 
lated, and  in  winter  are  comfortably  heated.  The 
work  is  clean  and  not  heavy  and  appeals  to  girls 
of  artistic  instincts  who  have  not  been  able  to 
develop  their  talents  to  any  great  extent  in  the 
public  schools.  The  hours  are  from  eight  to 
twelve  o'clock  and  from  one  to  six.  A  girl  may 
enter  this  manufactory  as  an  errand  girl.  Her 


WORK   IN  A   FACTORY  33 

work  is  largely  carrying  messages  from  one  de- 
partment to  another,  laying  out  supplies,  count- 
ing draperies,  and  performing  other  miscellane- 
ous duties.  If  she  shows  herself  to  be  alert  and 
capable,  she  is  soon  promoted  to  a  position  as  a 
handsewer  upon  some  parts  of  the  draperies,  or 
she  may  manage  a  power  sewing-machine.  If 
she  shows  that  she  has  ideas  that  are  of  value 
from  an  artistic  standpoint,  she  is  given  a  place 
in  the  designers'  department,  and  here  she  can 
find  an  outlet  for  any  beautiful  fancies  in  the 
line  of  draperies  that  she  may  possess. 

The  management  believe  that  the  happiness 
of  the  employees  is  a  financial  asset ;  so  there 
is  a  play  given  every  winter  by  the  young  men 
and  women  employed  in  the  factory,  and  there 
is  an  annual  picnic  at  the  company's  expense, 
and  many  pleasures  are  planned  for  the  em- 
ployees during  the  year. 

An  arrangement  is  made  with  a  near-by  pub- 
lic school  by  which  pupils  from  that  school  can 
work  in  the  factory  from  twelve  o'clock  until 
six  at  a  wage  of  three  dollars  per  week. 

No  boy  or  girl  of  known  low  moral  standing 
is  retained  in  this  place  as  a  worker,  and  the 
conditions  are,  as  a  whole,  more  favorable  to  a 
healthy,  sane  moral  development  than  are  con- 
ditions in  the  average  department  store. 

To  summarize :  In  this  factory  the  young  girl 


34  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

finds  a  healthful  physical  and  moral  environ- 
ment, pleasant  work  that  is  not  too  monotonous, 
considerate  treatment  from  her  employers,  and 
a  connection  with  the  public  schools  that  makes 
it  possible  for  her  to  continue  her  education 
while  employed  a  part  of  the  day  as  a  wage- 
earner.  This  last  feature  is  a  very  important  one 
to  consider. 

The  second  manufacturing  place  that  will  be 
described  is  a  paper-box  factory.  This  factory 
is  situated  in  the  heart  of  a  great  city,  but  the 
lofts  are  light  and  airy  and  well  heated  in  win- 
ter. This  plant  has  been  chosen  for  mention 
because  of  the  long  term  of  service  of  the  thirty 
or  more  employees  in  it.  The  foreman  has 
worked  for  this  firm  over  forty  years,  and  sev- 
eral of  the  other  helpers  have  been  in  this  place 
for  terms  varying  from  ten  to  thirty  years. 

The  work  is  not  difficult,  and  consists  largely, 
for  the  girls,  in  the  putting  together  of  paste- 
board boxes  which  have  been  cut  out  by  ma- 
chinery. Their  work  might  seem  to  be  very 
monotonous,  but  the  boxes  vary  so  in  size  and 
shape,  many  of  them  being  exquisitely  dainty, 
that  there  is  a  zest  and  pleasure  in  the  task  of 
each  day.  Then,  too,  it  is  the  boast  of  the  es- 
tablishment that  their  boxes  are  the  best  that 
can  be  made,  and  the  spirit,  "  I  will  make  this 
piece  of  work  my  best,"  which  seems  to  govern 


WORK  IN  A  FACTORY  35 

the  actions  of  each  employee,  and  to  pervade 
the  entire  manufactory,  lifts  the  work  far  above 
the  level  of  drudgery,  and  causes  it  to  be  satis- 
factory and  enjoyable. 

A  beginner  starts  at  four  dollars  per  week, 
but  usually  receives  six  or  seven  dollars  before 
the  close  of  the  year.  When  working  by  the 
piece  a  salary  of  twelve  dollars  per  week  is  often 
secured. 

As  may  readily  be  inferred,  there  is  a  strong 
bond  of  union  between  the  employer  and  the 
employed  in  this  factory.  A  cordial,  friendly 
atmosphere,  and  an  assured  feeling  of  fair  play 
throughout  the  entire  establishment  make  men 
and  woman  willingly  render  service  here  for 
long  terms  of  years  at  a  rather  low  average 
wage. 

In  the  small  factories  just  described  it  is  ap- 
parent that  the  employers  take  a  genuine  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  girls  and  women 
working  for  them.  This  will  be  found  to  be  the 
case,  too,  in  some  of  the  large  manufactories. 
A  large  watch  factory,  for  example,  employing 
between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thousand  girls, 
makes  a  strong  effort  to  make  the  conditions  of 
life  of  their  employees  pleasant. 

The  company  has  provided  a  recreation-room 
in  the  factory,  with  easy-chairs,  couches,  read- 
ing-matter, a  piano  and  pianola  attachment. 


36  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

Here  the  girls  congregate  after  lunch  to  rest 
and  listen  to  the  music  before  returning  to  their 
afternoon's  work.  In  the  factory,  too,  is  a  small 
lunch-room,  where  an  appetizing,  well-cooked, 
hot  lunch  can  be  obtained  at  a  low  price,  the 
intention  being  to  give  the  lunch  to  the  girls  at 
cost. 

A  hundred  or  more  girls  are  accommodated 
in  a  very  pleasant  boarding-house,  which  is  run 
by  the  company.  The  price  of  room  and  board 
here  is  only  three  dollars  per  week.  Some  of 
the  girls  bring  their  living  expenses  to  an  even 
lower  figure  than  this  by  waiting  on  table,  for 
which  service  they  obtain  their  own  board.  Thus 
the  average  wage  of  nine  dollars  per  week,  when 
the  cost  of  living  is  considered,  is  a  fairly  good 
one. 

There  is  a  Relief  Association  to  which  most 
of  the  girls  belong.  The  assessment  is  twenty- 
five  cents  a  month.  In  case  of  sickness,  the 
members  receive  four  dollars  a  week ;  and  on 
the  death  of  a  member,  fifty  dollars  is  paid  to 
the  relatives.  The  company  interests  itself  also 
in  this  and  contributes  a  little  to  it,  so  that  it 
usually  happens  that  the  balance  in  the  treas- 
ury is  sufficient  to  render  it  unnecessary  to  make 
any  assessment  for  a  few  weeks  each  year. 

The  wages  paid  to  the  girls  when  they  first 
enter  upon  the  work  are,  of  course,  low,  —  about 


WORK   IN  A  FACTORY  3? 

seventy-five  cents  a  day.  But  if  they  prove  their 
adaptability  to  the  work,  their  pay  is  soon  in- 
creased until  they  are  put  on  piece-work,  and 
after  that  the  amount  they  earn  depends  largely 
on  themselves,  it  sometimes  reaching  as  high 
a  sum  as  two  or  three  dollars  a  day. 

To  be  successful  in  this  work,  a  girl  must  have 
natural  mechanical  ability,  good  eyesight,  a 
steady  hand,  and  be  quick  with  her  fingers. 

The  hours  are  long,  but  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  sociability  among  the  girls,  and  as  much 
freedom  is  allowed  in  the  workrooms  as  is  con- 
sistent with  good  workmanship.  On  the  whole, 
the  life  of  a  girl  in  this  factory  is  a  pleasant 
one.  The  work  is  clean,  the  rooms  are  light, 
the  foremen  are  uniformly  courteous  to  their 
help,  and  among  the  girls  themselves  good-fel- 
lowship prevails.  Here,  also,  as  well  as  in  the 
smaller  factories,  we  find  operatives  who  have 
been  employed  in  the  factory  for  twenty,  thirty, 
or  even  forty  years. 

The  number  of  things  really  worth  while 
which  some  of  these  girls  manage  to  do  on  a 
small  wage  is  surprising.  A  few  years  ago  there 
was  a  young  Greek  girl  working  in  the  factory. 
She  was  entirely  dependent  on  what  she  earned, 
—  for  she  had  no  relatives  in  this  country, — 
and  she  never  earned  more  than  eight  dollars 
a  week.  With  this  meager  amount,  she  not  only 


38  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

paid  her  living  expenses  and  dressed  suitably 
and  tastefully,  but  she  took  music  lessons  and 
French  lessons,  bought  books,  and  took  trips 
to  the  White  Mountains,  to  the  Maine  coast, 
to  Niagara  Falls,  and  to  Washington ;  so  that, 
when  she  at  length  returned  to  her  home  in 
Athens,  she  had  seen  a  considerable  portion  of 
this  country,  and  had  been  able  to  cultivate 
her  taste  in  books  and  music  during  her  stay 
here. 

Another  young  woman  went  to  Europe  one 
summer  bringing  back  a  choice  collection  of 
pictures  and  mementos  of  her  trip,  as  well  as 
materials  for  dresses,  which  she  worked  into 
effective  costumes  later  on.  This  same  young 
lady  is  one  of  a  large  number  who  prove  that 
intellectual  life  and  factory  life  are  not  incom- 
patible. Her  bookcases  are  filled  with  a  fine  col- 
lection of  books,  such  a  collection  as  would  be 
surpassed  in  few  homes  even  where  there  is 
genuine  culture. 

A  large  number  of  the  girls  are  not  only  self- 
supporting,  but  they  help  others.  One  young 
Swedish  girl,  after  she  had  been  in  the  factory 
for  about  ten  years,  became  eager  to  bring  her 
brother  to  this  country.  She  found  work  for 
him  in  her  city  and  sent  for  him.  He  and  his 
family  came  from  far-away  Sweden.  The  sister 
met  them  at  the  dock,  gave  them  their  first  auto 


WORK   IN   A  FACTORY  39 

ride  from  the  station,  and  welcomed  them  to 
the  cozy  flat  which  she  had  hired  and  furnished 
for  them  with  her  own  money. 

These  cases  have  been  cited  to  show  that, 
notwithstanding  the  long  hours  and  the  some- 
what monotonous  routine,  a  well-rounded  life 
can  be  lived  by  a  girl  who  works  in  a  factory 
managed  in  a  humane  and  intelligent  spirit. 


VI 

COOKING 

A  GIRL  who  can  cook  appetizing  and  health- 
ful food  contributes  largely  to  the  health,  hap- 
piness, and  moral  tone  of  the  community.  Good, 
nourishing  food  brings  good  health;  good  health 
usually  means  happiness  and  prosperity.  Every 
girl  has  in  her  own  home  an  unsolicited  field 
for  effort  in  this  direction.  The  opportunities 
are  at  hand  to  secure  abundant  practice  and  the 
experience  that  will  be  necessary  before  attempt- 
ing larger  enterprises.  Father's  words,  "  Those 
were  fine  rolls,  Mary,"  or  Mother's  gentle  smile 
of  praise  are  worth  more  than  the  applause 
awarded  the  latest  theatrical  star. 

Then,  too,  the  ability  to  prepare  dainty  broths 
and  other  dishes  for  the  sick  members  of  the 
family  is  of  great  importance  in  contributing  to 
the  restoration  of  the  invalid  to  health. 

After  a  thorough  course  in  cooking  in  a  de- 
partment of  household  economics  such  as  is  now 
to  be  found  in  many  high  schools,  a  young  girl 
should  be  able  to  turn  her  knowledge  of  cook- 
ing to  account  in  many  ways.  She  may  make  a 
specialty  of  certain  muffins,  cakes,  pies,  pud- 


COOKING  41 

dings,  etc.,  which  she  prepares  in  her  own  home 
and  sends  out  upon  special  orders.  This  is  often 
done  in  small  villages,  and  the  work  yields  a 
good  profit.  She  may  establish  a  tea-room,  start- 
ing at  first  in  a  small  way,  and  branching  out 
as  her  fame  as  a  server  of  delicious  tea  and 
dainty  food  is  spread  abroad.  A  friend  of  the 
writer  recently  cleared  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
in  a  year's  experiment  in  a  small  tea-room  in  a 
college  town.  This  work  calls  for  careful  buy- 
ing* good  management,  and  a  considerable 
amount  of  hard  work ;  but  the  manager  of  such 
a  room  is  brought  in  contact  with  a  very  pleas- 
ant class  of  people,  and  feels  that  her  establish- 
ment contributes  distinctly  to  the  pleasure  and 
good  cheer  of  the  village,  and  the  financial  re- 
ward is  better  than  that  of  the  average  profes- 
sional woman. 

A  wise  choice  of  location  would  cause  one  to 
rent  one  or  two  attractive  rooms  in  the  vicinity 
of  a  college  or  a  large  boarding-school  for  girls. 
College  girls  may  be  relied  upon  to  patronize 
liberally  a  tea-room  where  sweets  and  tea  are 
served  by  a  neat,  pleasant  waitress  in  an  attract- 
ive room. 

In  order  to  become  a  cooking-school  teacher 
a  girl  should  have  at  least  two  years  in  a  first- 
class  school  of  domestic  science.  Here,  as  every- 
where, the  maturity,  earnestness,  and  alert  mind 


42  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

of  the  girl  determine  the  length  of  study  re- 
quired to  prepare  one's  self  for  the  work  and 
also  her  success  when  the  actual  work  is  taken 
up. 

A  teacher  of  cooking  in  a  public  school  or  an 
institution  would  receive  a  salary  varying  from 
about  six  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  dollars  per 
year,  according  to  experience  and  preparation. 

For  the  higher  positions  in  domestic  science, 
such  as  supervisor  of  city  or  country  schools, 
matrons  of  institutions,  girls'  clubs,  and  other 
organizations,  the  candidate  must  be  a  graduate 
of  a  training-school  such  as  that  of  the  Teachers' 
College,  or  Pratt  Institute,  New  York,  or  Sim- 
mons College,  Boston.  This  course  generally 
requires  two  years  of  work. 

At  present  the  demand  for  women  to  fill 
these  higher  positions  exceeds  the  supply,  and 
a  well-equipped  teacher  of  domestic  science  is 
sure  of  a  good  paying  position.  To  be  the  head 
of  the  domestic  science  department  of  a  public- 
school  system  demands  great  executive  ability, 
expert  knowledge,  and  thorough  training  in 
many  lines.  The  writer  has  asked  a  woman  who 
occupies  such  a  position  to  enumerate  her  du- 
ties, and  this  is  a  list  of  the  most  important  of 
them  :  Prepare  the  course  in  sewing,  cooking, 
and  design  for  the  grade  schools  and  order  the 
supplies  requisite  in  those  schools  ;  prepare  the 


COOKING  43 

course  in  household  economics  for  the  technical 
high  school  of  the  city  and  order  all  the  sup- 
plies required  for  the  work  in  the  sewing, 
millinery,  and  cooking  classes ;  supervise  the 
preparation  by  the  cooking  classes  of  the  school 
luncheon  for  about  nine  hundred  pupils  ;  teach 
a  class  in  dressmaking  and  one  in  cooking ; 
attend  frequent  conferences  upon  work  in  do- 
mestic art  and  science  and  write  papers  upon 
these  subjects.  It  is  no  wonder  that  these  po- 
sitions are  not  overcrowded. 


VII 

NURSING 

No  girl  should  plan  to  become  a  nurse  unless 
she  possesses  good  health  and  a  strong  consti- 
tution. If  with  these  qualifications  she  unites 
good  sense  and  judgment,  self-control,  and  a 
clear  mind,  and  has  formed  a  habit  of  obedi- 
ence, she  may  look  forward  to  success  in  the 
work  of  nursing. 

Tact,  discretion,  and  firmness  are  essential 
qualities.  With  tact  a  nurse  can  eliminate  many 
features  of  her  work  that  would  be  very  trying 
and  might  be  disastrous  ;  without  discretion  her 
stay  in  any  household  or  institution  will  be 
short ;  firmness  is  positively  required  to  meet 
the  possible  opposition  and  unreasonableness  of 
the  patient. 

The  head  nurse  of  a  great  city  hospital  re- 
cently said  that  the  most  important  qualification 
of  a  nurse  was  obedience ;  meaning,  of  course, 
obedience  to  the  physician's  directions  in  caring 
for  the  sick. 

A  nurse  must  be  immaculate  in  her  personal 
appearance.  The  untidy  girl  whose  skirt  is 
never  properly  fastened  or  joined  to  her  waist, 


NURSING  45 

whose  finger  nails  are  not  always  clean,  whose 
teeth  show  need  of  care,  and  whose  general  ap- 
pearance even  suggests  uncleanliness  will  never 
be  accepted  in  a  training-school  for  nurses.  An 
invalid  has  enough  to  bear  without  suffering 
from  the  untidy  appearance  of  the  nurse. 

In  the  better  class  of  hospitals  young  women 
are  not  allowed  to  enter  upon  the  course  of 
training  until  they  are  twenty-one,  and  the  can- 
didate must  have  had  a  four  years'  high-school 
course  or  its  equivalent.  The  head  nurse  above 
quoted  advised  that  girls  spend  the  interval  be- 
tween graduating  and  entering  the  hospital  in 
their  own  homes,  assisting  in  the  general  work 
of  the  household,  acquiring  the  art  of  cooking 
wholesome  food,  and  reading  the  best  literature. 

When  one  thinks  of  the  weary  hours  of  con- 
valescence and  of  the  long  hours  of  the  milder 
forms  of  invalidism,  one  realizes  how  necessary 
it  is  that  the  nurse  possess  mental  resources 
and  that  she  be  a  well-read  person.  A  dull,  un- 
imaginative woman  with  little  knowledge  of  the 
world  or  of  books  would  be  a  poor  companion 
in  the  sick-room. 

The  course  in  the  training-school  is  very 
rigid,  but  has  many  pleasant  features.  The 
better  hospitals  provide  a  nurses'  home  where 
the  candidate  may  rest  in  a  comfortable  and 
attractive  private  room  during  the  hours  in 


46  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

which  she  is  off  duty.  The  hours  of  training  are 
so  regular,  the  food  so  wholesome,  and  the 
whole  regime  of  hospital  life  so  systematic  that 
the  health  of  the  woman  in  training  is  usually 
excellent. 

In  some  hospitals  small  pay  is  given  during 
the  period  of  training,  while  in  others  the 
trainer  has  to  pay  a  considerable  sum  for  her 
course. 

A  nurse  that  is  recommended  by  a  reputable 
physician  is  sure  of  employment  during  a  large 
part  of  the  year.  The  pay  is  usually  twenty-five 
dollars  a  week.  Her  board,  of  course,  is  in- 
cluded, and  in  light  cases  she  often  has  much 
leisure,  when  she  enjoys  many  of  the  pleasures 
of  the  family  life. 

A  very  desirable  position  for  a  nurse  is  one 
in  a  private  school.  Here  her  work  is  usually 
light,  and  she  meets  many  grateful  parents  in  a 
pleasant  way.  State  and  city  institutions  have 
their  corps  of  nurses,  as  do  factories  and  de- 
partment stores  also.  Many  nurses  continue 
work  in  the  hospital  from  which  they  graduated. 

A  so-called  convalescent  or  domestic  nurse 
is  one  who  has  not  had  thorough  professional 
training  and  is  employed  only  when  the  con- 
valescent patient  does  not  demand  scientific 
vigilance,  or  when  her  work  is  to  entertain  and 
give  light  attendance  to  chronic  invalids.  These 


NURSING  47 

nurses  usually  receive  from  seven  to  fifteen 
dollars  a  week.  They  secure  their  training  in 
modified  courses  offered  in  various  ways.  Their 
standing  with  physicians  is  not,  of  course,  as 
high  as  that  of  the  professional  nurse. 

The  greatest  satisfaction  in  a  nurse's  life  is 
the  thought  of  good  work  well  done.  To  have 
saved  a  human  life  by  one's  skill  and  effort,  or 
to  have  helped  one  to  endure  a  long  and  tedious 
illness  by  sympathetic,  untiring  labor,  might 
well  inspire  a  nurse  to  say,  "  I  have  known  what 
pleasure  is,  for  I  have  done  good  work." 

For  the  girl  who  cannot  take  up  a  full  course  of 
training  but  who  is  fond  of  children,  the  work  of 
a  nursemaid  makes  an  appeal.  The  same  quali- 
ties that  would  make  a  successful  nurse  are 
required  in  this  position,  but  the  work  may  be 
begun  at  an  earlier  age,  as  the  nursemaid  is 
required  to  take  much  less  responsibility. 

A  nursemaid  should  have  a  pleasing,  cheerful 
manner,  and  her  language  should  be  excellent, 
as  little  children  unconsciously  imitate  the  lan- 
guage they  hear  in  the  nursery.  She  should 
cultivate  the  art  of  story-telling,  as  this  is  a 
most  attractive  feature  in  the  life  of  a  child. 
The  nursemaid  should  also  have  some  knowledge 
of  the  laws  of  health  and  of  the  proper  manner 
of  preparing  the  children's  meals. 

Courses  in  training  for  nursemaids*  positions 


48  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

are  offered  in  several  infants'  hospitals.  The 
wages  are  three  dollars  per  week  at  first  with 
an  increase  after  several  months  of  training. 

In  many  homes  the  nursemaid's  position  is 
a  very  pleasant  one.  She  is  brought  into  close 
contact  with  the  family,  and  if  she  is  a  refined, 
ladylike  girl  she  is  given  many  privileges.  The 
children  usually  regard  her  with  affection,  and 
in  a  good  home  she  leads  a  sheltered,  happy 
life.  Of  course,  a  girl's  success  in  such  a  position 
depends  upon  the  kind  of  home  she  enters  and 
the  kind  of  girl  she  is. 

Her  wages  would  be  about  four  dollars  a  week, 
and  her  term  of  service  would  depend  upon 
many  conditions  that  readily  suggest  them- 
selves. A  nursemaid  sometimes  stays  in  a  family 
after  the  children  are  grown,  becoming  a  mother's 
helper  and  assisting  in  the  ways  in  which  a 
housekeeper  or  trusted  friend  of  the  family 
would  assist  the  mother. 


VIII 

SEWING   AND    MILLINERY 

FOR  the  girl  who  is  a  deft  sewer,  the  one 
who  can  do  skillful  work  in  mending,  stitching, 
and  hand-sewing  of  all  kinds,  there  is  a  large 
field  with  many  paths  to  permanent  and  satis- 
factory occupations. 

The  painstaking  day  seamstress  is  always 
sure  of  remunerative  work.  Her  pay  is  about 
two  dollars  a  day,  and  she  is  given  her  luncheon 
and  dinner  at  the  house  where  she  happens  to 
be  working.  She  is  not  expected  to  design 
beautiful  gowns  or  to  do  elaborate  work  that 
requires  artistic  skill,  but  she  must  be  able  to 
sew  neatly,  to  run  a  machine,  and  she  should 
have  a  certain  amount  of  good  taste. 

There  are  several  ways  of  preparing  one's 
self  to  become  a  dressmaker.  One  may  take  a 
four  years'  course  in  the  sewing  department  of 
a  technical  or  trade  school,  or  one  may  enter  a 
dressmaker's  establishment  as  an  apprentice. 
If  a  girl  begins  in  this  way  she  receives  very 
little  salary,  and  she  may  have  to  work  several 
months  without  pay  ;  but  if  she  is  a  bright-eyed 
girl,  quick  to  grasp  new  ideas,  the  opportunities 


50  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

afforded  her  while  working  with  a  first-class 
dressmaking  establishment  are  of  great  value 
to  her. 

For  the  artistic  girl  who  has  a  keen  eye  for 
beauty  of  fabrics  and  harmony  of  lines,  there 
are  fine  opportunities  to  become  a  designer  of 
costumes.  This  is  the  most  satisfactory  phase  of 
dressmaking,  as  all  of  the  sewing, — the  drudg- 
ery —  can  be  done  by  others  who  do  not  possess 
the  gifts  that  make  the  high-class  designer. 
In  a  certain  school  a  young  girl  who  had  never 
shown  any  particular  ability  in  her  academic 
work  appeared  one  morning  in  a  gingham  dress 
so  beautifully  cut  and  made  that  it  attracted 
her  teacher's  attention.  She  found  that  the  girl 
had  planned  the  dress  and  made  it  without  help 
from  anyone.  This  girl  is  now  taking  a  special 
course  in  dressmaking  in  a  technical  high  school 
and  will  become  a  designer  of  women's  dresses. 

There  is  so  great  a  need  at  the  present  time 
in  the  technical  and  trade  schools  for  teachers 
of  sewing  that  a  girl  who  has  had  a  high-school 
course  in  that  subject  can  usually  secure  a 
position  as  assistant  to  the  head  of  the  sewing 
department.  Here  she  secures  most  valuable 
experience  in  imparting  her  knowledge  to  others, 
and  although  the  salary  is  small,  the  position 
is  a  stepping-stone  to  a  higher  one  later  on. 
In  many  schools  a  normal  training  is  demanded 


SEWING  AND   MILLINERY  51 

of  the  sewing-teacher.  Much  depends,  in  this 
as  in  every  vocation,  upon  the  maturity  and 
dignity  of  the  individual  girl. 

Many  of  the  large  department  stores  have 
schools  of  dressmaking  where  apprentices  are 
trained  without  pay ;  and  connected  with  many 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  and 
Industrial  Unions  are  schools  of  dressmaking 
and  millinery,  where  courses  may  be  taken  at 
nominal  prices. 

A  milliner  must  be  not  only  artistic,  but  also 
a  good  financial  manager.  Her  season  is  so  short 
that  she  must  buy  intelligently  and  sell  at  a 
great  profit  in  order  to  make  a  success  of  her 
business.  This  work  is  now  taught  in  most 
technical  schools,  and  apprentices  are  also 
trained  in  the  regular  milliners'  establish- 
ments. 

The  first  work  that  is  undertaken  by  the 
young  girl  apprentice  is  the  making  of  bands  for 
the  inside  of  the  crown  of  the  hat.  Then  she 
learns  how  to  make  and  sew  in  linings.  Now 
comes  a  much  more  interesting  step,  which  is  the 
making  of  frames  of  buckram  or  of  wire  and 
covering  them  with  all  kinds  of  material  used 
in  hatmaking :  straw  of  all  kinds,  lace,  silk,  vel- 
vet, and  chiffon.  This  requires  a  considerable 
amount  of  artistic  ability  and  skillful  work,  as 
it  is  oftentimes  very  difficult  to  cover  the  frames 


52  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRL3 

in  the  manner  desired.  Very  skillful  fingering 
is  necessary  at  this  step,  as  clumsy  work  would 
spoil  the  material  used  in  covering  the  frame. 

The  work  of  trimming  the  hat  demands  much 
cunning  in  the  fingers  in  order  that  they  may 
fashion  the  dainty  bows,  rosettes,  and  flowers, 
and  also  a  keen  eye  for  beauty  of  line  in  order 
that  the  manner  of  trimming  may  harmonize 
with  the  general  contour  of  the  hat. 

A  designer  of  hats  should  be  an  artist  in 
regard  to  color  combinations,  materials,  and 
shapes.  Her  work  is,  of  course,  the  most  im- 
portant of  all,  as  ideas  must  always  precede 
effort  of  any  kind.  Nothing  can  be  carried  out 
until  some  one  has  furnished  the  ideas  that  are 
to  be  represented.  As  in  all  work,  the  thinker, 
the  originator,  the  person  who  plans,  who  fur- 
nishes the  ideas,  receives  the  highest  salary,  so 
in  this  occupation  the  designer  receives  twenty- 
five  to  forty  dollars  per  week  in  large  establish- 
ments ;  the  trimmer  receives  from  fifteen  dollars 
a  week  to  higher  sums  ;  and  the  maker  of  the 
hat  (untrimmed)  usually  receives  from  eight  to 
twelve  dollars  per  week. 

The  disadvantages  in  the  millinery  business 
are  the  short  seasons,  in  which  the  work  is  very 
strenuous,  and  the  long  hours  during  this  short 
season.  While  learning  the  business  and  until 
one  is  well  established  in  it,  one  should  have 


SEWING   AND   MILLINERY  53 

some  other  means  of  earning  a  livelihood  during 
the  slack  season. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  opportunities  of  ad- 
vancement are  excellent  for  a  girl  of  artistic 
tastes,  who  is  a  skillful  needlewoman  and  a 
tactful  business  manager.  There  is  always  a 
demand  for  beautiful  and  becoming  hats,  and 
the  milliner  who  can  design  these,  and  has  the 
tact  and  the  skill  and  patience  required  to  sell 
the  right  hat  to  the  right  person,  is  sure  of  a 
good  income. 


IX 

THE    MODERN    TEACHER 

IT  might  seem  as  if  the  vocation  of  teaching 
should  not  be  discussed  in  a  work  which  pur- 
ports to  point  out  available  vocations  to  young 
girls  having  rather  limited  educational  oppor- 
tunities ;  but,  since  it  is  true  that  many  mature, 
energetic  girls  go  into  the  work  of  teaching 
from  the  high  school,  and  sometimes  from  high 
schools  affording  very  limited  courses,  it  has 
been  thought  best  to  tell  something  of  the  work 
of  the  modern  teacher. 

The  successful  teacher  of  to-day  differs  in 
many  respects  from  the  typical  teacher  of  pre- 
ceding generations.  She  must  possess  the  same 
general  characteristics  that  have  always  marked 
the  great  teachers  —  sincerity,  energy,  deter- 
mination, patience,  tact,  kindness,  courtesy,  in- 
sight, ability,  and  enthusiasm ;  but  she  must 
also  have  a  much  broader  and  clearer  view  of  the 
activities  of  life  and  of  work  in  the  vocational 
and  the  social  field  than  did  the  old-time  teacher, 
whose  attention  was  focused  upon  her  subject 
only. 

The  modern  teacher  must  first  of  all  know 


THE   MODERN   TEACHER  55 

her  pupils,  not  as  a  group,  but  each  individual. 
She  must  learn  all  that  she  can  in  regard  to 
each  pupil's  natural  heritage,  his  tastes,  native 
talents,  propensities,  and  his  home  life.  She  must 
study  each  pupil  much  more  intensely  than  she 
studies  her  textbook,  until  by  a  correlation  of 
the  knowledge  that  she  has  acquired  in  regard  to 
each  individual  she  can  advise  him  wisely  with 
respect  to  his  future  study,  habits,  and  vocation. 

The  teacher  of  to-day  must  see  that  her  pu- 
pils receive  a  good  all-around  education,  but  that 
for  each  individual  the  emphasis  is  laid  upon 
the  subjects  for  which  he  shows  the  greatest 
natural  ability. 

The  modern  teacher  must  be  progressive ;  she 
must  understand  the  causes  that  have  led  to 
the  changing  conditions  in  education,  and  she 
must  study  all  the  movements  that  are  being 
made  to  adapt  the  methods  and  the  matter  of 
instruction  to  these  changed  conditions  of  mod- 
ern life. 

If  she  teaches  a  rural  school,  her  instruction 
should  be  such  as  to  cause  the  country  boys 
and  girls  to  see  the  beauty,  the  dignity,  and  the 
economic  possibilities  of  country  life  ;  and  if  she 
instructs  young  people  who  must  enter  upon 
some  vocation  at  an  early  age,  she  should  try  to 
adapt  her  teaching  to  the  conditions  of  each 
case. 


56  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

In  a  word,  the  teacher  of  to-day  needs  a  sym- 
pathetic imagination  more  than  she  needs  any 
other  qualification. 

The  financial  rewards  for  women  teachers  are 
not  great,  but  the  satisfaction  of  really  helping 
boys  and  girls  to  get  into  the  right  place  in  life 
is  always  within  the  power  of  the  right  sort  of 
teacher,  and  with  that  she  is  content.  Her 
salary  will  feed  and  clothe  her,  and  with  econ- 
omy she  may  be  able  to  experience  the  great 
pleasure  of  helping  others.  The  remuneration 
of  the  teacher  varies  from  eight  to  twelve  dol- 
lars per  week  in  the  small  rural  schools,  to  one 
thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  dollars  per  year  in 
a  large  city  school.  She  has,  however,  if  worthy, 
the  respect  of  her  pupils  and  their  parents  and 
that  of  the  entire  community  in  which  she  lives, 
and  the  title,  "teacher,"  causes  her  to  be  treated 
with  courtesy  and  consideration  when  she  goes 
among  strangers. 

A  great  teacher  is  always  a  student ;  a  student 
of  nature  at  all  times,  and  also  a  student  of  lit- 
erature, history,  biography,  current  events,  and 
of  her  special  subjects.  She  must  not  only 
study  the  subjects  she  is  to  teach,  but  she  must 
study  the  working  of  the  mind  of  the  learner, 
so  that  the  seed  of  her  teaching  may  bring  forth 
fruit. 

The  most  successful  teachers  are  the  ones  who 


THE   MODERN   TEACHER  57 

can  convince  their  pupils  that  these  boys  and  girls 
possess  many  and  great  powers  which  they  can 
develop  by  exercise.  The  great  teacher  suggests 
success,  while  the  poor  teacher  suggests  failure. 

Every  teacher  who  works  upon  human  souls 
should  always  remember  the  words  of  Emerson, 
"Nothing  great  was  ever  achieved  without  en- 
thusiasm." 

That  the  teacher  must  always  be  a  student 
cannot  be  too  strongly  stated.  For  the  teacher 
in  the  city  the  agencies  for  improvement  are 
many  and  diverse:  Extension  and  summer- 
school  courses  furnished  by  many  universi- 
ties, afternoon  and  evening  lecture  courses,  free 
tickets  to  art  galleries  and  museums,  educa- 
tional clubs,  —  all  are  hers,  from  which  to  choose 
the  work  that  she  especially  needs  or  desires. 
In  fact,  there  is  such  a  multiplicity  of  advant- 
ages to  be  secured  at  the  price  of  some  exertion 
that  oftentimes  there  is  great  temptation  to  at- 
tempt more  lines  of  work  than  can  be  thoroughly 
performed  in  the  time  at  one's  disposal. 

In  the  rural  districts  also  are  excellent  sum- 
mer schools,  in  which  skilled  instructors  from 
colleges  and  the  normal  schools  give  real  help  in 
solving  the  problems  which  confront  the  teacher 
of  the  country  school.  The  curriculum,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  academic  subjects,  includes 
such  topics  as  "The  Rural  School  as  a  Social 


58  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

Center,"  "  How  Should  Teaching  in  the  Coun- 
try School  Differ  from  that  in  the  City  School?" 
"The  Economic  and  Social  Possibilities  of  the 
Country,"  "  Practical  Agriculture  and  the  Coun- 
try School,"  and  the  aim  of  much  of  the  teach- 
ing is  to  cause  the  students  who  are  to  become 
teachers  of  rural  schools  to  realize  the  respon- 
sibility and  dignity  of  work  in  that  special  class 
of  schools.  Then,  too,  the  teacher  in  the  coun- 
try school  may  continue  her  education  by  tak- 
ing one  or  more  of  the  various  correspondence 
courses  now  offered  by  some  of  the  great  uni- 
versities and  schools  of  correspondence.  No 
region  is  so  remote  that  these  courses  cannot 
reach  them,  and  thousands  of  ambitious,  ener- 
getic students,  who  could  not  possibly  be  in 
residence  at  a  college,  are  kept  mentally  alert 
and  filled  with  enthusiasm  by  the  work  that  they 
do  in  this  way. 

The  method  by  which  the  teacher  secures 
her  instruction,  whether  in  summer  classes, 
correspondence  schools,  lectures,  private  read- 
ing and  study,  is  not  of  so  much  importance  as 
is  the  fact  that  she  studies  in  some  manner,  and 
that  she  ever  keeps  an  open  mind  and  an  ob- 
servant eye  for  the  investigation  of  modern 
tendencies,  while  she  also  studies  the  literature 
and  history  of  the  past. 

New  functions  and  new  educational  special- 


THE   MODERN   TEACHER  59 

izations  have  come  into  the  teaching  profession 
because  of  modern  social  and  economic  reor- 
ganization, and  the  modern  teacher  must  see 
very  clearly  the  vital  connection  between  the 
school  and  the  entire  community. 

The  education  of  to-day  must  be  social.  It 
must  fit  the  boys  and  girls  to  work  harmoni- 
ously in  groups  for  the  good  of  the  whole 

The  teacher  should  be  a  forceful  personality 
in  the  life  of  the  community.  In  all  movements 
for  social  betterment,  in  all  positions  in  which 
a  broad  knowledge  of  current  events  is  de- 
manded, she  should  be  able  and  willing  to  work 
for  the  good  of  the  whole  social  body. 

If  the  teacher  is  able  and  willing  to  perform 
her  part  in  the  work  of  social  betterment,  we 
may  quite  naturally  expect  that  her  pupils  will 
be  able  to  advance  the  charitable,  moral,  and 
social  life  of  their  town  or  city  because  of  their 
training  in  school. 

In  many  cities  the  school  is  becoming  a  social 
center  around  which  revolves  a  very  large  group 
of  activities  and  pleasures.  In  some  cities  and 
even  in  small  towns,  the  school  building  is  oc- 
cupied several  evenings  each  week  by  debating 
clubs,  musical  societies,  special  classes,  and 
large  groups  of  adults  and  of  young  people, 
who  utilize  the  school  plant  in  ways  that  help 
to  refine  and  develop  their  social  instincts. 


60  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

Speaking  of  the  relation  of  the  school  to  so- 
ciety, Professor  John  Dewey  says,  "When  the 
school  introduces  and  trains  each  child  of  so- 
ciety into  membership  within  such  a  little  com- 
munity, saturating  him  with  the  spirit  of  service, 
and  providing  him  with  the  instruments  of  effec- 
tive self-direction,  we  shall  have  the  deepest 
and  best  guarantee  of  a  larger  society  which  is 
worthy,  lovely,  and  harmonious." 

We  see,  then,  that  the  modern  teacher  should 
be  a  woman  of  warm  heart,  keen  intellect,  and 
very  broad  sympathies.  The  wrong  sort  of 
teacher  can  do  great  harm ;  the  right  kind  is 
one  of  the  greatest  helps  to  any  generation. 
Such  work  should  not  be  taken  up  lightly. 


X 


KINDERGARTENING    AND    THE   MONTESSORI 
SYSTEM 

ALTHOUGH  the  philosophy  of  the  kindergar- 
ten should  be  carefully  studied  by  a  superior 
type  of  girl  in  a  regular  training-school  for  kin- 
dergartners,  it  is  possible,  if  one  is  of  the  type 
of  girl  mentioned,  to  secure  the  training  by 
giving  one's  services  as  an  assistant  to  a  first- 
class  kindergartner  in  a  public  or  private  school. 

The  assistant  would  probably  receive  no  sal- 
ary, or,  at  best,  a  very  small  one,  for  a  year  or 
two,  but,  if  she  is  under  the  tuition  of  a  thor- 
oughly skilled  kindergartner  and  at  no  expense 
for  her  training,  she  may  consider  herself  very 
fortunate,  as  the  cost  of  tuition  in  a  school  for 
kindergartners  is  usually  quite  high. 

A  candidate  for  a  kindergartner' s  position 
should  have  some  knowledge  of  both  instru- 
mental and  vocal  music,  a  thorough  comprehen- 
sion of  Froebel's  philosophy  of  teaching,  an 
even,  pleasant  disposition,  and  a  great  love  for 
little  children. 

Her  salary,  when  she  has  become  a  full- 
fledged  kindergartner,  will  not  be  large  in  most 


62  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

cities,  but  the  work,  to  one  who  loves  children, 
is  delightful,  and  brings  out  the  very  best  in 
one's  nature. 

The  development  in  character  of  many  kin- 
dergarten student-teachers  has  often  been 
surprising  to  their  instructors  and  to  their 
friends. 

If  a  young  woman  opens  a  private  kinder- 
garten, —  and  there  is  an  opportunity  for  this 
kind  of  school  in  almost  every  neighborhood,  — 
she  should  be  a  good  business  woman  as  well  as 
a  skillful  kindergartner.  With  a  very  little  capi- 
tal she  can  secure  an  independent  and  honor- 
able livelihood,  if,  as  has  been  said,  she  is  an 
attractive,  skillful  kindergartner,  and  a  tactful, 
energetic  business  woman. 

A  good  many  girls  find  it  difficult  to  decide 
whether  general  teaching  or  kindergartening 
would  be  the  better  work  for  them.  Such  a  girl 
should  study  herself  very  carefully.  If  she  feels 
a  strong  love  for  little  children,  their  games, 
stories,  and  songs,  and  if  she  has  a  vivid  im- 
agination, a  happy  disposition,  a  strong  nervous 
organization,  and  is  musical,  she  would  prob- 
ably be  an  excellent  kindergartner ;  but  she 
would  also  doubtless  make  an  excellent  teacher 
in  any  kind  of  school,  provided  that  her  educa- 
tion and  training  were  sufficiently  good. 

The  extremely  practical,  unimaginative,  un^ 


THE   MONTESSORI    SYSTEM  63 

musical  girl  had  better  not  attempt  kindergar- 
ten work.  There  is  a  vein  of  idealism,  of  poetry, 
of  spiritual  values  underlying  the  work,  that 
such  a  girl  could  not  comprehend,  and  if  these 
underlying  principles  are  not  appreciated  by 
the  kindergartner,  the  heart  of  the  work  is  not 
touched.  To  illustrate  the  change  of  character 
that  often  follows  the  study  of  the  kindergarten 
system  will  be  given  the  story  of  Marguerite. 

Marguerite  was  a  dreamer,  an  idler,  and  the 
despair  of  her  practical,  hard-working  mother 
and  father.  To  bedeck  her  lovely  little  person 
with  dainty  clothes,  to  drum  upon  the  piano, 
and  to  read  alluring  novels  were  her  chief  occu- 
pations. For  the  sake  of  being  with  her  bosom 
friend  of  the  moment,  she  accompanied  this 
friend  to  a  first-class  training-school  for  kinder- 
gartners.  Here,  under  the  training  of  the  splen- 
did women  with  whom  she  found  herself,  many 
fine  and  lovely  qualities,  which  had  lain  dor- 
mant in  her  nature,  developed.  Upon  her  return 
to  her  home  her  amazed  and  delighted  parents 
saw  her  perform  tasks  that  she  had  formerly 
ignored  ;  and  all  her  work  was  characterized  by 
thoughtfulness  and  unselfishness.  When  asked 
what  had  caused  her  to  change  from  a  butterfly 
into  a  thoughtful,  helpful  young  woman,  she 
said,  "  It  was  my  work  with  the  little  children, 
and  my  study  of  Froebel's  philosophy  which 


64  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

taught  me  that  life  was  too  wonderful  a  thing 
to  fritter  away." 

At  the  present  time  there  is  great  interest 
manifested  in  educational  circles  in  the  work 
of  Dr.  Maria  Montessori,  who  has  developed  a 
philosophy  of  education,  which,  in  its  applica- 
tion to  the  work  of  groups  of  children  in  Italy, 
has  been  eminently  successful.  In  this  scheme 
of  education  the  teacher  is  largely  an  observer 
of  the  self-directed  activities  of  children,  re- 
straining their  efforts  only  when  those  are  mis- 
directed. There  is  a  very  deep  philosophy  un- 
derlying this  plan  of  education,  which  demands 
long  and  careful  study  on  the  part  of  intelligent 
teachers ;  but  as  the  results  obtained  when  the 
system  is  understood  are  quite  wonderful,  there 
will  soon  be  a  great  demand  in  this  country  for 
instructors  who  have  qualified  themselves  to 
teach  by  this  method. 

Professor  Henry  W.  Holmes,  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, makes  the  following  comparison  be- 
tween kindergartening  and  the  Montessori 
System :  "  Compared  with  the  kindergarten, 
the  Montessori  System  presents  these  main 
points  of  interest :  it  carries  out  far  more  radi- 
cally the  principle  of  unrestricted  liberty ;  its 
materials  are  intended  for  the  direct  and  formal 
training  of  the  senses;  it  includes  apparatus 
designed  to  aid  in  the  purely  physical  develop- 


THE   MONTESSORI   SYSTEM  65 

ment  of  the  children ;  its  social  training  is  car- 
ried out  mainly  by  means  of  present  and  actual 
school  activities ;  and  it  affords  direct  prepara- 
tion for  the  school." 

Such  a  scheme  of  education  will  surely  make 
a  powerful  appeal  to  many  bright  girls  who  are 
desirous  of  becoming  teachers. 


XI 

LIBRARY   WORK 

FOR  the  girl  who  really  loves  books,  work  in 
a  public  library  makes  a  powerful  appeal.  She 
may  hear  that  the  salary  is  never  large,  and 
that,  in  fact,  it  is  very  small  until  one  has  had 
a  rather  long  term  of  service  in  the  minor  po- 
sitions ;  but  the  lure  of  the  books  is  sufficiently 
strong  to  overbalance  this  powerful  argument, 
and  for  the  girl  who  can  give  several  years  of 
work  to  training  at  very  small  pay,  the  result 
is  a  permanent,  honorable,  and  fairly  lucrative 
position,  —  a  position  in  which  she  can  be  of 
immeasurable  help  to  the  community,  and  one 
that  is  thoroughly  satisfactory  and  in  many  re- 
spects delightful.  The  librarian  is  surrounded 
on  every  side  by  those  magic  volumes  of  which 
one  of  their  lovers  has  said,  "  When  I  consider 
what  some  books  have  done  for  the  world,  and 
what  they  are  doing,  how  they  keep  up  our 
hope,  awaken  new  courage  and  faith,  soothe 
pain,  give  an  ideal  life  to  those  whose  hours  are 
cold  and  hard,  bind  together  distant  ages  and 
foreign  lands,  create  new  worlds  of  beauty, 
bring  down  Truth  from  Heaven  ;  I  give  eternal 


LIBRARY  WORK  67 

blessings  for  this  gift  and  thank  God  for 
books." 

The  ideal  librarian  is  one  who  loves  both 
books  and  humanity.  The  bookworm  —  the  per- 
son who  loves  books  only  —  is  not  the  right 
person  to  fill  a  library  position.  The  librarian 
must  be  one  who  has  an  intense  appreciation 
of  the  best  books,  and  such  a  sympathetic  in- 
sight into  the  needs  of  the  people  who  take 
books  from  the  library  as  will  enable  her  often- 
times to  bring  the  right  book  to  the  right  per- 
son. We  repeat :  a  librarian  should  love  books, 
but  she  should  also  love  people  and  love  to  be 
of  service  to  them. 

The  perfunctory  librarian  who  hands  out 
books  as  if  they  were  bricks,  or  the  one  who  is 
annoyed  at  being  disturbed  in  her  own  reading, 
is  entirely  out  of  place  in  a  public  library. 

The  librarian  should  realize,  as  she  looks 
about  the  shelves  of  the  library,  that  "without 
the  love  of  books,  the  richest  man  is  poor;  but 
endowed  with  this  treasure,  the  poorest  man  is 
rich.  He  has  wealth  which  no  power  can  dimin- 
ish, riches  which  are  always  increasing,  posses- 
sions which  the  more  he  scatters,  the  more  they 
accumulate,  friends  who  never  desert  him,  and 
pleasures  which  never  cloy."  And  she  must  also 
feel  a  real  love  of  humanity :  of  little  children, 
of  young  people,  of  the  old  and  the  feeble ;  and 


68  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

she  must  feel  that  it  is  a  part  of  her  work  will- 
ingly to  help  the  ignorant  and  the  stupid  as 
well  as  the  educated  and  the  mentally  alert. 
She  should  have  a  very  kind  heart  and  a  well- 
informed  head. 

There  are  several  ways  of  getting  into  library 
work.  One  is  to  take  a  regular  course  of  train- 
ing at  a  college  which  offers  such  a  course  or 
at  a  library  school ;  and  the  other  is  to  work  at 
a  very  small  salary  for  several  years  in  a  regu- 
lar library  as  an  assistant  in  the  different  de- 
partments and  branches.  Experienced  libra- 
rians say  that  it  is  far  better  to  take  the  regular 
training  given  in  the  librarian's  course  in  the 
college  if  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  and  some  of 
the  large  libraries  now  demand  that  their  as- 
sistants shall  have  such  training.  The  course  is 
a  very  strong  one  and  the  pupil  receives  train- 
ing in  all  forms  of  library  work. 

For  a  girl  of  small  means  the  method  of  giv- 
ing her  time  in  exchange  for  training  and  ex- 
perience presents  itself  favorably.  Beginning 
with  the  most  ordinary  routine  duties  of  the 
librarian,  —  the  examination  of  much-used  books, 
the  pasting  of  leaves  and  of  labels,  the  giving- 
out  of  books,  the  filing  of  periodicals,  —  the  girl 
gradually  works  up  to  cataloguing  and  the  work 
of  the  special  libraries. 

To  secure  a  position  in  some  large  city  libra- 


LIBRARY   WORK  69 

ries,  it  is  necessary  to  pass  an  examination  in 
literature,  geography,  current  events,  biography, 
and  at  least  one  foreign  language. 

For  a  young  girl  of  somewhat  limited  educa- 
tional advantages  but  with  a  great  love  of  books 
and  a  sincere  desire  to  do  library  work,  the  best 
way  to  approach  the  work  would  be  to  request 
the  librarian  of  a  small  library  to  let  her  act  as 
assistant  for  a  time,  and  demonstrate  her  ability 
in  this  way. 

As  has  been  said,  the  salary  for  several  years 
will  be  so  small  that  it  cannot  be  depended 
upon  for  support,  and  this  fact  must  be  reckoned 
with  in  deciding  upon  the  work.  If  one  is  sure 
of  a  good  home  and  necessary  comforts  while 
in  training,  the  work  will  be  satisfactory  from 
the  first,  and  gives  an  opportunity  for  service 
to  one's  fellows  that  is  afforded  in  few  occupa- 
tions. 

Many  libraries  now  have  a  Children's  Hour 
in  which  the  young  girl  who  is  a  gifted  story- 
teller is  able  to  give  great  pleasure  to  the  little 
ones  clustered  about  her,  who  listen  with  eager 
ears  to  the  delightful  tales  she  unfolds. 

To  catalogue  the  choice  pictures  and  prints, 
to  paste  labels  upon  delightful  new  books,  to 
find  a  helpful  volume  for  some  young  girl  who 
does  not  know  what  makes  one  book  good  and 
another  worthless,  to  help  some  grammar-school 


70  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

boy  run  down  a  reference,  to  place  a  beautifully 
illustrated  edition  of  Robin  Hood  or  of  Pete? 
Pan,  or  Eugene  Field's  or  Stevenson's  poems 
in  the  hands  of  some  poor  little  waif  to  whom 
the  library  with  its  contents  form  a  paradise,  — 
these  are  some  of  the  pleasant  features  of 
working  in  a  library. 

When  the  head  of  a  department  in  one  of  the 
largest  libraries  in  the  country  was  requested 
to  criticize  the  above  description  of  work  in  a 
library,  he  replied  in  two  words,  "  Too  roseate," 
and  when  urged  to  amplify  this  condensed  state- 
ment he  proceeded  to  give  three  reasons  why 
library  work  was  not  satisfactory  employment 
for  the  average  young  girl. 

"First.  It  is  very  difficult  for  the  partially 
educated  girl  to  secure  a  position  in  any  library. 
There  are  few  positions,  and  college  women  are 
always  preferred  for  these. 

"  Second.  The  salary,  even  after  many  years 
of  service,  is  small,  excepting  in  rare  cases  in 
which  the  girl  has  shown  extraordinary  ability. 

"  Third.  A  librarian  must  always  be  perfectly 
pleasant,  and,  as  the  patrons  of  the  library  are 
often  very  trying,  the  strain  on  one's  nerves  is 
great." 

The  librarian  in  charge  of  the  children's  li- 
braries was  next  appealed  to.  She  said,  "  The 
young  girl  must  not  go  into  library  work  ex- 


LIBRARY  WORK  71 

pecting  that  it  will  allow  her  time  for  reading 
along  the  lines  of  her  own  interests.  She  must 
realize  that  the  routine  of  library  work  includes 
real  drudgery  at  times." 

This  expert  testimony  is,  of  course,  absolutely 
reliable,  and  it  would  doubtless  be  wise  to  fol- 
low the  advice  given ;  and  yet,  as  one  looks  up 
and  down  the  reading-rooms  of  some  large  li- 
brary or  peeps  into  the  children's  room  and  sees 
the  happy,  absorbed  faces  of  the  little  readers, 
one  can  but  think  that,  despite  all  the  unsatis- 
factory conditions  for  the  employee,  it  must  be 
a  pleasure  to  be  connected  with  an  institution 
that  gives  so  much  happiness  and  help  to  the 
tired,  worried  adult,  the  eager  student,  and  the 
bright-eyed  child. 

We  know  of  no  work  that  would  familiarize 
one  with  the  different  grades  of  society,  and 
present  opportunities  for  certain  kinds  of  ser- 
vice to  them  more  than  would  work  in  a  large 
library.  In  the  newspaper  rooms  are  often 
found  a  considerable  number  of  persons  whose 
appearance  would  indicate  financial,  mental, 
and  moral  bankruptcy.  To  these  persons  the 
library  is  a  haven,  a  refuge.  It  gives  them  a 
shelter,  light,  heat,  and  forgetfulness.  No  girl 
employees  are  placed  as  attendants  here. 

In  the  reading-rooms,  one  sees  the  profes- 
sional man  looking  up  some  knotty  point,  the 


72  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

college  student  fortifying  himself  for  an  essay 
or  an  examination,  while  the  children  in  their 
spacious,  attractive  rooms  show  by  their  ab- 
sorption in  their  books  that  they  have  been 
wafted  to  the  region  where  children  love  to  be. 

And  still  higher  and  more  secluded  are  the 
special  libraries  where  the  student,  the  musi- 
cian, the  architect,  the  lover  of  old  books,  study 
and  work,  hour  by  hour,  drawing  freely  upon 
the  greatest  treasures  of  the  library  for  help  in 
their  task,  and  working  in  silence  broken  only 
by  the  occasional  footfalls  of  some  chance 
party  of  visitors. 

Yes,  here  in  the  library  is  the  world  in  mini- 
ature :  the  old,  the  young,  the  rich,  the  poor, 
the  successful,  the  failures,  the  learned,  the 
ignorant ;  and  to  all  it  is,  according  to  their 
needs,  a  refuge,  a  solace  for  troubled  minds,  a 
storehouse  of  knowledge,  a  perpetual  source  of 
inspiration  and  delight.  Wealth  in  dollars  and 
cents  may  never  be  acquired  by  the  girl  who 
works  in  a  library,  but  a  wealth  of  knowledge 
of  human  nature  is  sure  to  be  hers,  and  her 
experience  in  rendering  kind,  tactful,  courteous 
help  to  all  who  need  it  will  be  invaluable  to 
any  girl. 


XII 

DOMESTIC    SERVICE 

WE  fancy  that  a  slightly  disgusted  look  comes 
over  the  face  of  the  average  young  girl  who  is 
deciding  upon  a  vocation  as  she  reads  the  words 
at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  and,  unfortunately, 
there  are  good  and  sound  reasons  for  this  feeling, 
reasons  which  will  be  taken  up  here  in  consid- 
erable detail. 

First.  The  girl  feels  herself  to  be  placed 
nearly  at  the  bottom  of  the  social  order,  while 
employed  as  a  domestic. 

Second.  She  has  comparatively  little  time 
that  is  absolutely  her  own. 

Third.  She  must  usually  live  at  her  employ- 
er's home,  where  she  almost  invariably  is  given 
the  poorest  room  in  the  house. 

Fourth.  She  receives  little  genuine,  sympa- 
thetic consideration  from  the  other  members 
of  the  household.  There  is  in  all  the  intercourse 
of  the  members  of  her  employer's  family  with 
her  a  certain  mental  attitude  which  gives  her 
constantly  a  feeling  of  inferiority,  and  this  is 
destructive  to  self-respect. 

We  do  not  think  that  anyone  will  dispute 


74  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

that  these  conditions  must  be  met  in  very  many 
households,  and  that  the  effect  has  been  to  turn 
many  self-respecting  girls  of  domestic  tastes, 
who  would  have  made  excellent  housekeepers, 
housemaids,  and  cooks,  into  other  lines  less  re- 
munerative and  affording  fewer  comforts  for 
the  physical  well-being  of  the  worker. 

Admitting  all  of  these  unfavorable  conditions 
as  reasons  why  young  girls  turn  away  even  from 
the  consideration  of  domestic  service  as  a  voca- 
tion, we  are  sure  that  there  is  a  kind  of  service 
that  can  be  rendered  by  the  young  woman  who 
can  live  at  home  and  who  is  skillful  in  perform- 
ing household  duties,  that  will  not  lower  her  self- 
respect  and  will  pay  her  a  satisfactory  living  wage. 

At  the  present  time,  so  great  is  the  demand 
for  a  better  and  more  trustworthy  class  of  per- 
sons willing  to  render  service  in  the  household, 
that  many  housewives  would  willingly  pay  six 
or  eight  dollars  per  week  to  secure  each  day  the 
competent  help  of  a  girl  who  had  received 
training  in  the  household  economics  department 
of  a  good  public  school.  The  girl  would  have 
to  be  a  planner  as  well  as  a  skillful  worker  and 
would  be  obliged  to  work  intensely  during  her 
time  on  duty.  Her  hours  might  be  from  seven 
A.M.  to  eight  P.M.,  with  an  interval  of  rest  from 
two  until  five  each  week-day,  while  on  Sunday 
she  would  work  only  three  hours  in  the  middle 


DOMESTIC  SERVICE  75 

of  the  day.  If  employed  in  a  family  in  which 
only  one  servant  was  kept,  she  could  prepare 
all  of  the  meals  and  clear  up  after  them,  and 
have  regular  days  for  sweeping,  cleaning,  and 
keeping  the  house  in  order.  The  laundry  work 
of  a  family  should  not  be  added  to  this  work, 
but  should  be  done  by  other  hands.  The  girl 
helper's  work  should  be  as  clearly  defined  as  is 
the  work  of  women  in  any  other  occupation, 
and  as  the  call  for  skilled  help  is  so  great,  a 
young  woman  can  leave  any  household  in  which 
unsatisfactory  conditions  prevail  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  faithful,  skillful  work  in  the  line  of 
domestic  service  will  be  appreciated  in  the  very 
best  homes.  The  best  homes  are  not  always 
those  of  greatest  wealth  or  even  of  greatest 
culture,  but  they  are  the  homes  in  which  broad- 
minded,  kind-hearted  people  of  high  principles 
create  an  atmosphere  which  makes  life  pleasant 
and  profitable  for  all  who  serve  them. 

There  are,  also,  for  girls  who  live  in  their  own 
families,  many  opportunities  to  work  in  good 
homes  during  a  few  hours  of  the  day  at  special 
tasks  for  which  these  girls  are  well  prepared. 
A  girl  can  cook  all  of  the  cake  and  pastry  for 
a  household,  or  she  may  take  the  task  of  laun- 
dering the  fine  shirt  waists,  or  of  keeping  the 
silver  and  linen  in  order.  She  may  also  engage 
the  mending  of  several  families,  having  her 


76  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

regular  day  and  hour  for  performing  this  duty 
for  each.  In  all  this  work,  the  girl  should  be  as 
conscientious  and  as  self-respecting  as  any  pro- 
fessional worker  who  gives  his  best  service  to 
his  patron. 

As  a  result  of  the  excellent  teaching  of  house- 
hold economics  in  the  schools  at  the  present  \ 
time,  domestic  service  is  bound  to  be  raised  to 
its  rightful  place  as  one  of  the  greatest  and  best 
opportunities  to  render  professional  service  to 
mankind.  The  next  generation  of  housewives 
will  be  good  housekeepers  because  of  their  own 
training  in  household  economics,  and  it  follows 
that  when  the  mistress  of  the  household  thor- 
oughly understands  the  details  of  housekeeping, 
she  can  train  her  servants  in  correct  methods 
of  performing  domestic  labor. 

In  a  certain  magnificent  home  in  which  six- 
teen servants,  headed  by  a  housekeeper  and 
assistant  housekeeper,  are  employed,  the  mis- 
tress of  the  household  fortunately  understands 
every  detail  of  work  in  the  great  establishment ; 
and  her  servants  all  realize  that  when  she  visits 
a  department  she  has  superior  knowledge  of 
their  special  work.  The  result  is  that  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  household  moves  without  fric- 
tion ;  and  there  is  a  total  absence  of  the  waste, 
worry,  and  irritability  that  wreck  the  happiness 
of  so  many  homes. 


DOMESTIC   SERVICE  77 

As  a  contrast  we  see  in  these  days  many 
families  abandoning  the  individual  home,  in 
which  the  incompetent  mistress  cannot  train 
even  one  incompetent  maid,  to  live  in  apartment 
houses  where  they  receive  the  advantage  of  re- 
spectable meals  served  in  a  public  dining-room, 
but  where  the  home  life  can  never  be  as  delight- 
ful as  in  the  private  home. 

The  demand  for  competent  domestic  service 
rendered  by  a  superior  type  of  girl  is  very  great. 
The  better  class  of  employment  agencies  are 
filled  during  business  hours  with  housewives 
who  are  eagerly  looking  for  that  kind  of  girl, 
to  whom  they  would  gladly  pay  good  wages. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  will  be  given  the 
story  of  Elizabeth,  as  it  was  told  to  the  writer 
by  Elizabeth's  mother.  Her  family  had  always 
lived  quite  up  to  the  handsome  income  of  the 
father,  and  when  he  was  suddenly  smitten  by 
an  incurable  ailment,  which  destroyed  his  abil- 
ity as  a  wage-earner,  the  family  were  forced  to 
look  into  each  other's  faces  and  say,  "What 
can  we  do  ?  "  The  mother  was  needed  to  care 
for  the  invalid,  the  brother  was  too  young  to 
be  a  wage-earner,  and  there  was,  then,  only 
Elizabeth  to  become  the  support  of  the  family. 
Now  Elizabeth,  like  hundreds  of  other  girls, 
could  play  the  piano  creditably,  and  had  been 
fairly  well  educated  in  the  usual  academic  sub- 


78  VOCATIONS    FOR   GIRLS 

jects.  She  was  not,  however,  qualified  to  teach 
any  subject,  or  to  enter  a  business  office ;  as 
she  found  after  long  weary  weeks  of  sitting  in 
teachers'  agencies  and  of  making  application 
for  work  in  the  offices  of  business  men.  It  be- 
came necessary  for  the  family  to  dismiss  their 
maid,  and  to  Elizabeth  fell  the  task  of  keeping 
the  house  in  order.  One  day  a  chance  remark 
of  a  visitor  caused  a  great  light  to  flash  upon 
the  discouraged  girl.  After  looking  about  the 
neatly  arranged  rooms  this  person  said,  "  Eliza- 
beth, I  would  give  a  good  deal  if  my  house 
were  as  tidy  and  well  ordered  as  yours.  You 
must  have  the  talent  of  the  born  housekeeper." 
The  next  day  Elizabeth  sought  a  distracted 
friend,  who,  she  knew,  was  anxious  to  secure 
a  competent  mother's  helper,  and  engaged  to 
come  to  her  daily  at  a  wage  of  eight  dollars  a 
week.  Her  work  was  largely  that  of  the  ordi- 
nary domestic,  and  she  did  much  of  the  cook- 
ing for  the  household.  After  a  short  time,  in 
which  she  proved  her  ability  to  bring  comfort 
and  order  to  a  demoralized  household,  she  was 
made  the  real  housekeeper  of  the  establish- 
ment. Her  salary  was  increased  to  fifteen  dol- 
lars per  week,  and  she  now  says  of  herself, 
"Instead  of  being  the  absolute  failure  that  I 
feared  at  one  time  I  was  to  be,  I  feel  that  in 
work  for  which  I  have  some  natural  talent  I 
may  become  something  of  a  success." 


XIII 

THE  GIRL  WHO   STAYS   AT  HOME 

EVERY  woman  and  girl  in  this  twentieth  cen- 
tury should  congratulate  herself  on  the  numer- 
ous means  open  to  her  for  self-support  and,  if 
need  be,  for  helping  to  fill  the  family  exchequer, 
—  means  which  are  not  only  remunerative  from 
a  money  point  of  view,  but  which  are  pleasant, 
respectable,  and  capable  of  widening  the  out- 
look of  the  worker.  The  inventor  of  the  type- 
writer ought  to  be  an  honorary  member  of 
every  woman's  club  in  the  land,  for  to  how 
many  women  has  he  furnished  the  means  of 
independence  !  Hosts  of  girls  find  employment 
in  these  days  in  the  telephone  offices.  Our 
manufactories  not  only  employ  girls  and  women 
in  large  numbers,  but  they  spend  money,  time, 
and  thought  in  making  the  places  in  which 
these  girls  work  both  comfortable  and  attrac- 
tive. Contrast  all  this  with  the  possibilities 
open  to  the  woman  without  means  of  fifty 
years  ago,  and  it  must  be  conceded  that  the 
world  is  a  better  place  for  her  now  than  in  that 
day. 

But,  granted  that   congenial,  remunerative 


8o  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

work  is  open  to  every  woman  and  girl  who  is 
obliged  to  go  out  into  the  world  as  a  worker, 
fortunate  indeed  is  the  girl  who  is  not  called 
upon  to  do  this,  but  who  finds  her  work  in  her 
own  home.  It  seems  strange  that  any  girl 
should  prefer  office  work  and  the  business  life 
to  work  in  her  own  home  ;  but  the  fact  remains 
that  many  girls  look  upon  themselves  as  mar- 
tyrs if  circumstances  compel  them  to  stay  at 
home.  Of  course,  woman's  desire  for  economic 
independence  is  one  factor  in  her  going  out  to 
work.  Probably  the  love  of  change  and  the  ex- 
citement of  meeting  strangers  also  make  their 
appeal,  and  the  home  life  seems  humdrum  and 
commonplace  in  comparison.  A  young  woman 
sees  her  friends  starting  out  each  morning,  alert 
and  energetic,  ready  to  fulfill  the  definite  duties 
of  the  day,  and  she  sees  them  return  at  night 
with  the  day's  duties  behind  them,  care-free, 
and  apparently  freshened  rather  than  wearied 
by  their  contact  with  the  outside  world.  For  her- 
self, the  day  has  presented  a  multitude  of  little 
tasks,  perhaps  not  all  completed  until  well  into 
the  evening ;  much  of  the  work  has  been  un- 
interesting ;  she  has  met  few  people  beside  the 
members  of  the  family  ;  and,  taken  all  in  all,  her 
manner  of  life  seems  to  her  circumscribed  and 
narrow. 

Yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  girl  at  home  has 


THE   GIRL   WHO    STAYS   AT   HOME     81 

a  much  better  opportunity  for  growth  than  has 
her  sister  in  a  business  office,  for  her  time  is 
more  at  her  own  disposal,  and  she  can,  there- 
fore, arrange  to  do  much  reading  and  to  take 
advantage  of  the  lectures,  musicales,  and  other 
intellectual  treats  which  are  given  in  her  city. 
In  these  days  of  woman's  clubs,  it  is  the  fault 
of  the  home  girl  herself  if  she  fails  to  grow  in- 
tellectually. 

If  the  work  of  the  house  seems  monotonous,  it 
is  because  of  the  lack  of  interest  taken  in  it.  Of 
life  it  has  been  said  that  "  what  one  wants  is  to 
be  interested,  and  if  one  is  not,  life  is  pretty 
much  the  same  in  a  surface  car  or  an  automo- 
bile." Without  interest,  housework  or  any  other 
work  is  drudgery.  The  effort  to  be  successful 
in  the  performance  of  work  will  make  it  inter- 
esting ;  and  just  as  great  an  effort  to  attain  suc- 
cess in  her  work  should  be  made  by  the  house- 
keeper as  is  made  by  the  girl  who  wishes  to 
retain  her  position  in  an  office.  Her  pride  must 
be  in  the  dependence  of  the  whole  family  upon 
her  ministrations.  She  may  be  very  sure  of  one 
thing :  no  girl  in  an  office  is  half  as  necessary 
there  as  is  the  successful  girl  in  the  home. 

Another  point  which  should  arouse  her  in- 
terest is  that  of  being  economical  in  the  house- 
hold expenditures.  This  will  require  thought 
on  her  part,  but  the  saving  effected  by  a  little 


82  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

calculation  will  be  so  obvious  that  she  will  not 
begrudge  the  effort. 

The  daughter  who  stays  at  home  because  she 
is  needed  there,  instead  of  going  out  to  earn 
her  living,  is  entitled  to  a  certain  definite  amount 
of  money  as  her  wage  unless  adverse  condi- 
tions forbid.  If  the  circumstances  of  the  family 
are  such  that  this  amount  must  be  small,  let 
her  accept  that  fact  without  complaint,  but  let 
her  insist  upon  receiving  some  pay,  even  though 
it  be  small.  She  should  remember  that  if  her 
pay  is  small,  her  living  expenses  also  are  small, 
and  that  in  many  ways  she  has  an  opportunity 
to  save  money  and  less  temptation  to  spend  it 
than  has  the  girl  who  goes  to  an  office  every 
day. 

Then,  too,  there  are  opportunities  open  by 
which  a  girl  who  is  at  home  can  earn  some 
spending-money  in  her  spare  time.  If  she  is 
skillful  with  her  needle,  she  can  sell  her  em- 
broidery at  prices  which,  although  not  high 
enough  to  pay  her  for  the  time  spent  on  it  if 
she  depended  upon  that  for  a  livelihood,  yet 
will  be  acceptable  as  furnishing  a  little  extra 
money  for  her  own  use.  Or,  if  she  excels  in  the 
culinary  art,  she  can  obtain  a  small  income  by 
cooking  for  the  neighbors  occasionally. 

But  whatever  the  pecuniary  reward,  far  and 
above  all  other  work,  the  work  of  the  home- 


THE   GIRL  WHO   STAYS   AT   HOME     83 

keeper  must  be  a  labor  of  love.  To  see  that  her 
mother's  cares  are  lightened ;  to  know  that  her 
father  starts  to  his  daily  labor  fortified  with  a 
wholesome,  appetizing  breakfast  which  she  has 
prepared;  to  know  that  each  member  of  the 
household  is  the  better  fitted  for  the  day's  tasks 
because  of  her  work  :  —  these  are  the  rewards  of 
the  homekeeper  which  are  not  to  be  reckoned 
in  money. 

The  characteristic  which  the  homekeeper  must 
have  if  she  would  be  successful  in  her  calling  is 
unselfishness.  It  is  her  business  in  life  to  do  for 
others  ;  and  if  she  finds  no  pleasure  in  this,  her 
lot  must  always  be  an  unsatisfactory  one.  Let 
her  cultivate  that  spirit  which  finds  its  highest 
happiness  in  the  happiness  of  others ;  for  she  in 
her  sphere  has  the  power  to  minister  to  others' 
happiness  to  a  greater  degree  than  is  found  in 
any  other  calling.  Fortunate  is  the  daughter 
whose  vocation  it  is  to  share  in  her  mother's 
work,  and  to  aid  her  in  the  making  of  a  home, 
with  all  that  the  word  implies  of  comfort,  cheer, 
and  love. 

The  words,  "the  girl  who  stays  at  home," 
bring  easily  to  one's  mind  a  picture  of  the  coun- 
try girl  of  colonial  times,  the  far-away  grand- 
mother of  the  girl  of  to-day.  It  is  well  to  con- 
trast her  home  life  with  that  of  the  modern  girl. 
Her  home  was  practically  her  world ;  her  field 


84  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

of  endeavor  was  the  one  filled  by  her  father  and 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  with  perhaps  an 
honored  grandfather  and  grandmother  in  the 
chimney  corner.  But  what  varied  interests  were 
hers,  and  how  skillfully  she  performed  the  many 
tasks  that  were  accomplished  in  the  old-time 
home !  From  the  early  hours  when  she  clothed 
herself  in  the  serviceable  garments  that  she  had 
probably  spun,  woven,  dyed,  and  made  with  her 
own  hands,  through  all  the  busy  hours  of  the  day, 
she  has  been  at  work  upon  tasks  that  were  va- 
ried and  interesting.  The  hearty  meals,  that  ne- 
cessitated the  making  of  snowy  biscuit  and  bread 
and  toothsome  pies  and  cakes,  must  be  prepared ; 
the  cream  must  be  skimmed  from  the  many  small 
pans  of  milk;  the  butter  must  be  churned  in  a 
crock  or  wooden  churn  with  a  dasher ;  and  the 
cheese  must  be  made.  Some  days  there  were 
geese,  whose  troublesome  heads  had  been  cov- 
ered with  a  stocking,  to  be  picked,  to  make  the 
billowy  feather  beds ;  and  there  were  hens  and 
calves  to  be  given  attention,  and  oftentimes  a 
tiny  new  lamb  to  be  induced  to  live.  There  were 
rugs  to  be  braided  and  counterpanes  to  be  woven ; 
and  on  certain  days  the  great  dye  kettle  was 
brought  into  use,  when  perhaps  the  worsted 
dresses  for  the  winter  were  colored  a  rich  crim- 
son or  blue  or  magenta.  Then  there  were  all 
the  mysteries  of  soapmaking  to  be  learned,  from 


THE  GIRL  WHO   STAYS  AT  HOME     85 

the  setting-up  of  the  leach  to  the  last  stirring 
in  the  enormous  iron  kettle ;  and  there  were  the 
tallow  candles  to  be  dipped  that  gave  a  meager 
light  to  the  home.  Then,  too,  there  were  dain- 
tier tasks  :  the  filling  of  the  rose  jars,  which  per- 
fumed every  chamber,  and  the  drying  and  pre- 
serving of  the  mints  and  sage  and  summer 
savory.  The  flower  garden,  with  its  tall  holly- 
hocks, brilliant  peonies,  and  lovely  damask  and 
moss  roses,  had  to  receive  attention  from  the 
women  of  the  household,  as  did  also  the  vege- 
table garden  ;  for  the  men  were  too  busy  with 
harder  tasks  to  spend  time  upon  such  things. 
This  active  ancestress  of  our  modern  girl  did 
not  read  much,  for  two  reasons  :  she  had  little 
spare  time,  and  she  had  few  books.  She  was  not, 
however,  unlettered,  and  her  knowledge  of  many 
real  processes  and  varied  activities  made  her  a 
capable  and  forceful  person,  even  though  her 
sphere  of  activity  was  largely  within  the  walls 
of  her  own  home. 

Our  modern  girl  may  not  have,  in  her  own 
household,  the  wide  range  of  interesting  tasks 
that  were  performed  by  her  great-great-grand- 
mother ;  but  she  has  abundant  opportunity  to 
make  herself  a  capable,  efficient  housekeeper; 
and  by  her  reading,  practice  of  music,  attend- 
ance upon  lectures,  membership  in  clubs  and 
in  other  social  organizations,  she  can  become  a 


86  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

living  force  in  a  much  larger  world  than  the  one 
in  which  her  colonial  grandmother  lived. 

Many  a  girl  who  has  left  a  pleasant  home,  in 
which  her  services  would  have  been  of  value  to 
her  own  people,  to  enter  upon  tasks  for  which 
she  was  unfitted,  has  returned  gladly  to  her  own 
place  in  her  father's  house  with  the  thought, — 

"  Home-keeping  hearts  are  happiest, 
To  stay  at  home  is  best." 


XIV 

VOCATIONS  FOR  THE   COUNTRY   GIRL 

Too  often  does  the  girl  on  the  farm  or  in  the 
small  country  village  look  with  longing  towards 
the  advantages  and  the  positions  offered  in  the 
city,  while  she  feels  a  sense  of  despair  at  her 
prospects  in  the  country.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  country  girl  has  a  tremendous  advantage 
over  the  city  girl,  because  the  latter  has  to 
make  her  way  through  a  vast  crowd  of  com- 
petitors while  the  country  girl  has  practically  a 
clear  track  to  her  goal.  The  girl  in  the  city 
must  not  only  make  her  way  through  a  vast  num- 
ber of  applicants  for  every  position,  but  she  also 
has  the  handicap  of  big  board  bills,  and  an 
almost  endless  number  of  small  expenses  of 
which  the  country  girl  knows  nothing.  Then, 
too,  because  the  girl  in  the  city  is  surrounded 
by  persons  who  dress  in  costly  clothing,  she  is 
constantly  tempted  to  increase  her  expenditures 
until  they  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  her  income. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  number  of  rural  vo- 
cations from  which  the  country  girl  can  choose 
is  a  large  one.  The  first  that  naturally  suggests 
itself  is  gardening. 


88  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

If  a  girl  lives  on  a  farm  and  can  have  the  use 
of  a  few  acres  of  land,  she  can  earn  a  comfort- 
able living  if  she  has  brains,  energy,  and  is  a 
good  manager.  We  will  suppose  that  her  home 
is  at  not  too  great  a  distance  from  a  summer 
hotel  or  camp  or  a  large  village.  She  can  then 
have  a  vegetable  garden,  raising  early  vege- 
tables and  strawberries,  or  other  berries,  with  a 
sure  market  near  at  hand. 

A  Cape  Cod  girl  nets  as  much  each  season 
from  sweet  peas,  roses,  dahlias,  and  other  flow- 
ers, which  she  sells  to  summer  boarders,  as 
many  a  school-teacher  earns  in  the  entire  year. 
A  Wellesley  graduate,  living  in  a  small  country 
town,  sells  enough  choice  fruit  to  her  patrons 
in  a  nearby  village  to  support  herself  and  her 
father. 

Chicken-raising  is  always  profitable,  if  one 
studies  it  as  one  would  study  any  other  busi- 
ness ;  and  if  one  has  the  use  of  a  hillside  for 
the  henhouses,  with  green  things  and  running 
water  near  at  hand,  the  work  is  not  unpleasant. 
Upon  application,  reports  are  sent  free  by  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  giving  the  very 
latest  information  in  regard  to  the  raising  of 
poultry,  fruit,  vegetables,  and  flowers,  and  much 
valuable  instruction  in  regard  to  all  kinds  of 
work  that  could  be  successfully  carried  on  in 
the  country.  An  application  through  the  Con- 


VOCATIONS   FOR   THE   COUNTRY   GIRL    89 

gressman  from  one's  district  will  usually  receive 
prompt  attention. 

A  certain  girl  who  lives  on  a  farm  on  the 
borders  of  a  lake  so  beautiful  that  it  attracts 
many  campers,  nets  a  tidy  sum  each  year  by 
making  bread,  pies,  and  doughnuts  for  these 
hungry  people.  Her  pies  are  so  good  that  the 
campers  take  them  gladly  at  twenty-five  cents 
each  ;  her  doughnuts  are  seized  at  twenty  cents 
a  dozen,  while  her  bread  is  snatched  up  at  ten 
cents  a  loaf.  Of  course  these  prices  mean  that 
her  cooking  is  of  the  very  best. 

This  girl's  sister  starts  out  with  a  reliable  old 
horse  and  buggy  each  pleasant  afternoon  and 
takes  the  campers  to  various  "beauty  spots" 
within  driving  distance,  earning  in  this  way 
quite  a  handsome  sum  in  the  course  of  the 
summer. 

In  a  good  many  country  homes  girls  are 
earning  considerable  spending-money  by  mak- 
ing braided  rugs,  such  as  were  made  by  their 
grandmothers  many  years  ago.  Sometimes 
these  are  sold  through  Women's  Exchanges 
and  sometimes  directly  to  the  purchaser. 

Two  girls  who  lived  in  a  rather  picturesque 
but  dilapidated  old  house  at  the  foot  of  a  steep 
hill,  which  automobilists  had  to  climb  slowly, 
put  out  a  sign,  "Tea  and  Grandmother's  Cook- 
ies." To  their  surprise  they  cleared  ten  dollars 


90  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

the  first  week,  and  their  season's  work  was  very 
satisfactory. 

In  a  small  country  village  a  certain  girl  is 
sending  her  sister  through  college  on  her  pro- 
fits from  the  doughnuts  and  pies  with  which  she 
supplies  her  neighbors  each  Wednesday  and 
Saturday. 

The  country  post-office  must  have  a  clerk,  as 
must  also  the  general  store  and  the  bank,  if  the 
place  boasts  such  an  institution.  There  must 
be  a  librarian  in  most  villages,  and  although 
this  work  brings  little  pay,  it  is  a  great  oppor- 
tunity for  the  girl  who  likes  books.  The  salary 
for  all  these  positions  is  small,  but  the  expenses 
in  a  country  village  are  also  small.  Many  a  girl, 
who  is  always  a  little  hungry  and  never  quite 
warm  in  her  side  room  on  a  city  street,  thinks 
regretfully  of  the  big,  sunny  room,  the  ample 
meals,  and  the  small  expenses  that  were  hers  in 
some  country  village. 

Let  no  country  girl  despair  of  entering  upon 
a  successful,  remunerative,  and  honorable  voca- 
tion because  of  her  environment.  Rather  let 
her  be  thankful  that  her  lot  is  placed  where  a 
wide  expanse  of  sky  and  land,  plenty  of  pure 
air,  and  the  surety  of  quiet,  restful  nights,  enable 
her  to  keep  in  the  best  condition  to  do  work 
that  will  be  pleasant  and  profitable  for  herself 
and  helpful  to  the  community. 


XV 

VOCATIONS  PLUS  AVOCATIONS 

A  GIRL'S  real  character  is  revealed  very  clearly 
by  the  manner  in  which  she  spends  her  spare 
time.  After  a  working  day  in  the  factory,  tele- 
phone office,  or  store,  there  are  still  a  few  hours 
left  besides  those  required  for  eating  and  sleep- 
ing. The  wise  use  of  this  time  will  bring  much 
true  pleasure  into  the  life  of  the  worker. 

For  the  girl  living  at  home,  there  may  be 
many  household  duties  to  perform.  Such  a  girl 
should  welcome  the  opportunity  of  being  a 
necessary  and  integral  part  of  a  real  home  in 
which  she  can  contribute  to  the  comfort  and 
pleasure  of  her  own  family.  But  many  girls  are 
boarding  and  have  no  such  home  duties  to 
fulfill.  For  them,  also,  many  delightful  avoca- 
tions are  open. 

The  writer  once  spent  a  summer  in  a  factory 
town  in  the  Middle  West,  where  she  was  brought 
into  intimate  association  with  a  group  of  young 
girls  who  were  spinners  in  one  of  the  factories. 
One  of  these  girls  took  a  piano  lesson  each 
week,  practicing  diligently  an  hour  a  day  and 
thus  making  considerable  progress  in  music,  of 


92  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

which  she  was  very  fond.  Another  girl  who 
worked  in  the  same  mill  took  a  French  lesson 
each  week,  and  always  came  to  her  lessons  well 
prepared.  A  third  girl  belonged  to  a  camera 
club  and  enjoyed  long  tramps  into  the  country 
on  Saturday  afternoons.  From  these  walks  she 
returned  with  many  beautiful  views  for  a  photo- 
graph book  she  was  preparing  called,  "  Beauty 
Spots  Near  Our  Home."  Nearly  every  one  of 
this  group  of  factory  girls  had  some  vital  inter- 
est in  life  outside  of  her  work  in  the  factory. 
They  were  all  companionable,  well-bred  girls, 
whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to  know. 

A  busy  young  woman  in  a  small  country  town 
in  New  England,  who  earns  a  good  living  by 
raising  poultry,  is  making  a  collection  of  the 
newspaper  poetry  of  the  times.  She  has 'several 
large  scrapbooks  filled  with  these  clippings, 
which  she  has  arranged  according  to  subjects. 
Another  country  girl  has  prepared  a  really  valu- 
able bibliography  of  literature  treating  of  birds. 
She  gets  this  material  from  book  review's,  poems, 
and  library  and  publishers'  catalogues. 

As  a  general  rule  that  avocation  should  be 
followed  which  is  the  farthest  removed  from  the 
vocation.  That  is,  if  the  vocation  makes  great 
demands  upon  the  brain  and  nerves,  the  avo- 
cation should  be  technical.  Some  out-of-door 
work  where  the  hands  are  employed  would  be 


' 


VOCATIONS    PLUS   AVOCATIONS         93 

best.  On  the  contrary,  if  the  work  is  largely 
mechanical,  as  in  a  factory,  some  reading,  study 
of  art  or  music,  or  other  cultural  work  should 
be  taken  up.  In  all  cases  the  avocation  should 
be  what  one  loves  to  do,  with  no  thought  of 
financial  gain  involved. 

The  avocation  enables  one  to  grow  into  a 
fuller  life  and  to  take  from  its  wonderful  possi- 
bilities some  of  the  things  that  give  one  deep 
and  lasting  happiness. 

It  is  well  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  avo-V 
cation  should  be  the  work  that  one  loves  best. 
This  being  true,  it  follows  that  power  and  skill 
will  develop  in  the  pursuit  of  the  avocation 
because  of  the  enthusiasm  with  which  the  work 
is  done.  This  enthusiasm  often  leads  one  to 
show  that  power  of  initiative  and  originality 
that  mark  the  leader  in  all  lines  of  effort,  and 
thus  the  avocation  in  time  may  become  an  honor- 
able and  pleasurable  vocation. 

For  the  many  girls  who  love  books  and  study, 
but  who  are  obliged  to  give  up  all  thoughts  of 
a  college  course,  an  avocation  that  requires  the 
study  of  some  particular  subject  appeals  very 
strongly.  No  girl  who  has  good  health,  a  good 
mind,  and  some  spare  time  need  despair  because 
she  cannot  graduate  from  a  college.  In  these 
days  of  university  extension  courses,  evening 
and  correspondence  schools,  she  can  take  up 


94  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

almost  any  subject  under  competent  instructors; 
or,  if  this  method  is  not  feasible,  she  can  study 
by  herself  from  books  so  clearly  written  that 
their  meaning  is  easily  reached  by  the  average 
student.  By  studying  what  one  loves,  a  love  of 
study  is  developed ;  and  thus  the  student  re- 
ceives a  twofold  pleasure.  A  coal  merchant  in 
a  small  country  town  began  the  study  of  French 
when  he  was  nearly  sixty  years  of  age.  After 
studying  this  subject  about  an  hour  a  day  for 
three  or  four  years,  during  which  time  he  had 
only  a  few  lessons  in  pronunciation  with  a 
teacher,  he  was  able  to  read  the  language  easily 
and  to  speak  it  fairly  well.  This  acquisition  gives 
him  more  genuine  pleasure  than  almost  any- 
thing else  in  his  life.  A  farmer  in  a  remote 
rural  district,  who  always  loved  scientific  study 
but  who  had  never  received  any  instruction  in 
the  sciences,  is  so  well  informed,  as  a  result  of 
his  reading  all  the  latest  scientific  works,  which 
he  secures  from  the  nearest  large  library,  that 
his  knowledge  is  respected,  not  only  by  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  but  also  by  the  great 
students  to  whom  he  appeals  occasionally  for 
light  upon  some  disputed  point.  Nearly  every- 
one has  heard  of  Elihu  Burritt,  "  the  learned 
blacksmith,"  whose  wide  reading  made  him  an 
authority  upon  many  subjects.  An  elderly 
banker  of  the  writer's  acquaintance,  who  still 


VOCATIONS   PLUS   AVOCATIONS        95 

is  actively  engaged  in  managing  the  affairs  of 
a  large  city  bank,  studies  astronomy  each  even- 
ing. His  reading-table  contains  all  the  latest 
works  upon  that  fascinating  subject,  and  with 
telescope  in  hand  he  mounts  to  the  roof  on 
nearly  every  pleasant  evening  to  scan  the  heav- 
ens. The  story  of  Lucy  Larcom  writing  her 
poems  after  her  day's  work  in  a  Lowell  mill 
has  often  been  told,  and  Louisa  M.  Alcott  wrote 
her  first  stories  as  an  avocation,  not  a  voca- 
tion. Mr.  Gladstone  chopped  down  trees  to 
relieve  his  mind  from  the  cares  of  state.  Colo- 
nel Roosevelt  loves  to  write  books  and  to  hunt 
large  game. 

We  repeat  for  the  sake  of  emphasis :  That 
avocation  should  be  sought  which  will  develop 
one  most  completely  and  happily.  One's  voca- 
tion may  be  an  employment  which  one  thor- 
oughly enjoys,  or  it  may  be  work  into  which 
one  is  forced  by  adverse  conditions ;  but  the 
avocation  should  always  contribute  distinctly 
to  the  happiness  and  well-being  of  the  individual. 
It  should  round  out  life. 

For  the  professional  woman  such  avocations 
as  gardening,  poultry  raising,  nature  study,  or 
any  employment  that  keeps  one  in  the  open 
air  or  involves  some  manual  labor  should  be 
followed ;  while  for  the  girl  who  works  with  her 
hands  there  is  always  delightful,  intellectual 


96  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

pleasure  to  be  had.  A  wise  man  has  said,  "To 
our  vocation  let  us  add  an  avocation,  if  we 
would  be  safe."  And  another  has  said,  "We  have 
certain  work  to  do  for  our  bread,  and  that  is 
to  be  done  strenuously ;  other  work  to  do  for 
our  delight,  and  that  is  to  be  done  heartily; 
neither  is  to  be  done  by  halves  but  with  a  will; 
and  what  is  not  worth  the  effort  is  not  to  be 
done  at  all." 


XVI 

THE   SUCCESSFUL   GIRL 

THE  foundation  stones,  truthfulness,  honesty, 
industry,  kindness,  self-reliance,  courage,  and 
trustworthiness,  must  be  placed  very  securely 
by  the  girl  who  is  to  enter  the  ranks  of  the 
world's  workers  and  march  forward  with  un- 
faltering tread  in  the  midst  of  that  great  army. 

Sincerity  of  purpose,  habits  of  industry,  punc- 
tuality in  performing  work,  alertness  in  seiz- 
ing opportunities,  zeal  in  performing  the  task 
assigned,  and  a  willingness  to  do  more  than  the 
required  task, — these  are  the  qualifications  of 
the  successful  worker  in  every  vocation. 

When  the  foundations  of  character  have  been 
carefully  laid,  it  follows  that  efficiency,  the  power 
to  do,  the  ability  to  get  results,  is  what  each  one 
has  to  strive  for ;  this,  after  all  is  said,  is  what 
makes  the  difference  between  the  girl  who 
succeeds  in  her  vocation  and  the  one  who  fails. 
Sometimes  it  seems  as  if  efficiency  were  a  gift 
from  the  gods,  like  a  taste  for  music,  or  the 
ability  to  write  poetry,  and  that  if  one  had  it 
not  by  nature,  it  were  useless  to  strive  for  it. 
Certain  it  is  that  persons  differ  greatly  in  their 


98  VOCATIONS   FOR  GIRLS 

possession  of  this  quality.  Given  two  girls 
of  apparently  equal  ability  and  of  the  same 
training,  and  let  each  have  a  piece  of  practical 
work  to  do.  The  one  will  bring  her  work  to  a 
successful  conclusion ;  the  other  may  try  much 
harder,  but  the  struggle  will  be  in  vain.  For 
the  very  stars  in  their  courses  seem  to  fight 
against  the  inefficient  girl.  If  she  sews,  her 
thread  knots ;  if  she  is  a  stenographer,  her 
machine  gets  out  of  order ;  if  she  is  a  cook,  the 
fire  refuses  to  burn ;  and  the  more  important  the 
piece  of  work  in  hand,  the  more  surely  will  dis- 
aster be  her  portion.  Not  so  the  efficient  girl. 
At  a  critical  moment  she  is  in  her  element.  In 
the  time  of  emergency  she  rises  to  the  occasion. 
No  disasters  await  her.  No  untoward  mishaps 
befall  her.  Calmly,  without  haste  or  undue  effort, 
she  successfully  completes  whatever  task  is 
given  her  to  do. 

Is  it  possible  for  one  to  cultivate  this  quality 
of  efficiency?  At  least  it  is  possible  to  see  what 
characteristics  lead  to  its  possession.  Of  course 
careful  preparation  for  the  work  is  the  first  re- 
quisite. Time  must  be  spent  to  learn  a  trade 
before  one  can  do  good  work  in  it.  A  girl  should 
learn  all  that  can  be  taught  about  an  occupa- 
tion before  attempting  to  earn  her  living  by  it. 
Good,  careful  training  will  do  much  toward  in- 
suring efficiency. 


THE   SUCCESSFUL  GIRL  99 

Next,  there  is  orderliness.  No  time  is  lost  in 
hunting  for  a  mislaid  pencil  or  thimble  or  dish. 
And,  however  great  the  need  for  speed,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  thimble  or  pencil  or  dish  will 
be  returned  to  its  proper  place  when  no  longer 
in  use.  For  the  orderly  person  has  an  innate  in- 
stinct for  putting  things  in  their  proper  places. 
Even  the  stores  of  information  of  such  a  person 
will  be  in  their  proper  places.  In  time  of  need 
the  stenographer  will  remember  an  address ;  the 
cook  will  remember  a  recipe;  the  nurse  will  re- 
member some  hint  of  her  training-days. 

But  the  day's  work  must  not  only  be  done  in 
an  orderly  and  systematic  manner,  but  it  must  be 
done  on  time,  without  haste  and  confusion.  Dis- 
patch is  as  necessary  a  qualification  of  effici- 
ency as  orderliness,  —  dispatch,  but  not  hurry. 
"  Hurry  is  the  sign  of  a  weak  mind ;  dispatch, 
of  a  strong  one." 

One  more  quality  goes  to  make  up  efficiency, 
that  of  accuracy,  precision.  When  a  thing  is 
done,  no  matter  how  unimportant,  it  is  done 
painstakingly.  The  number  of  mistakes  is  re- 
duced to  a  minimum.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
supervise  the  efficient  girl,  and  this  accounts 
for  her  being  paid  more  than  her  inefficient  sis- 
ter ;  —  for  the  salary  of  the  supervisor  is  always 
paid  by  the  supervised. 

Efficiency  is  the  essential  characteristic  of  the 


ioo  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

successful  girl,  but  there  are  other  qualities 
which  are  needed  to  make  her  completely  suc- 
cessful in  her  chosen  line  of  work.  Personal 
appearance,  for  instance,  goes  a  great  way ; 
and,  while  it  is  not  within  the  power  of  every 
girl  to  be  beautiful,  any  girl  can  be  neat.  It 
takes  time  and  effort  to  be  neat  as  to  hair,  nails, 
shoes,  and  collar,  but  it  is  time  and  effort  well 
expended.  The  dress,  too,  should  be  appropri- 
ate for  the  work.  The  stenographer  should  re- 
member that  the  office  is  not  the  place  for  half- 
worn-out  finery. 

Still  another  desirable  qualification  for  the 
successful  girl  is  tact,  that  lubricant  which  makes 
the  wheels  run  more  smoothly  in  all  walks  of 
life.  It  is  the  tactful  salesgirl  who  considers 
whether  or  not  her  customer  would  like  to  be 
helped  in  the  choice  of  her  goods  and  acts  ac- 
cordingly. It  is  the  tactful  seamstress  who  does 
not  dwell  over-much  on  the  physical  imperfec- 
tions of  her  customer,  but  who  speaks  rather 
of  some  beauty  of  form  that  is  hers.  It  is  the 
tactful  nurse  who  does  not  remind  her  patient 
of  the  long  days  of  pain  still  in  wait  for  her, 
but  who  reminds  her,  instead,  of  the  advance 
toward  health  which  she  has  already  made. 

But  perhaps,  next  to  efficiency,  the  quality 
which  more  than  any  other  differentiates  the 
successful  from  the  unsuccessful  girl  is  the  will- 


THE   SUCCESSFUL  GIRL  101 

ingness  or  unwillingness  tjc/as'surne  respc/rvsibil- 
ity.  The  girl  who  can,  take  responsibility  draws 
the  large  salary.  Maijy  ,a  -girl ,  QOes  tji£  routine 
work  of  the  day  well,  but  fails  when  something 
out  of  the  ordinary  occurs,  because  she  lacks 
initiative  ;  she  fears  to  take  responsibility. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  here  that  employers 
too,  are  beginning  to  assume  their  share  of  re- 
sponsibility in  making  the  wage-earning  girl 
efficient.  A  girl's  effort  to  become  efficient 
must  be  aided  by  efficiency-promoting  condi- 
tions. In  all  occupations  the  individual  health 
requirements  are  sensible  dress  and  footwear, 
nourishing  food,  enough  sleep,  and  plenty  of 
fresh  air.  To  these  must  be  added  employment 
under  right  conditions.  This  united  effort  of 
employer  and  employee  will  make  for  the  con- 
ditions so  essential  to  success  ;  and  if  the  char- 
acter of  the  girl  worker  is  built  up  on  the 
foundation  stones  of  success  mentioned  in  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter,  then  she  must  be- 
come, in  the  true  sense  of  the  phrase,  "  a  suc- 
cessful girl." 


/:.:/:]  ;  XVII 

STATISTICS   ON  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

IT  is  interesting  to  note  that  of  the  333  oc- 
cupations for  men  and  women  listed  in  the 
volume  of  Earning  Wage  of  Wage- Earners  for 
1909,  issued  by  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  there  was  a  total  number  of  4,833,- 
630  women  over  sixteen  years  of  age  listed  under 
about  sixty  different  groups  of  occupations.  It 
is  a  hopeful  indication  to  find,  upon  studying 
these  tables,  that,  between  the  years  1890  and 
1909,  the  percentage  of  women  entering  the  ex- 
ecutive, the  managerial,  the  professional,  and 
all  positions  demanding  initiative  and  respons- 
ibility, steadily  and  greatly  increased. 

At  the  present  time  (1912)  there  are  299  oc- 
cupations in  which  women  are  employed. 

The  number  of  women  wage-earners  over 
sixteen  years  of  age  in  the  United  States  in 
1909,  classified  according  to  occupations,  was : 

All  occupations 4,833,630 

Agricultural  pursuits 77°>°55 

Agricultural  laborers        456,405 

Farmers,  planters,  and  overseers 307,700 

Other  agricultural  pursuits 5>944 

Professional  service        429,497 

Actresses,  professional  showwomen,  etc. .     .     .  6,66 1 

Artists  and  teachers  of  art 10,907 


STATISTICS  103 

Literary  and  scientific  persons 5*984 

Musicians  and  teachers  of  music 52,010 

Officials  (Government)    .........  8,119 

Physicians  and  surgeons 7*387 

Teachers  and  professors  in  schools  and  colleges  327,206 

Other  professional  service        11,223 

Domestic  and  personal  service I>953>467 

Barbers  and  hairdressers 5,440 

Boarding-  and  lodging-house  keepers    ....  59>455 

Hotel-keepers 8,533 

Housekeepers  and  stewardesses 146,929 

Janitors  and  sextons       8,0 10 

Laborers  (not  specified) 106,916 

Laundresses 328,935 

Nurses  and  midwives 108,691 

Servants  and  waitresses 1,165,561 

Other  domestic  and  personal  service    ....  14,997 

Trade  and  transportation        481,159 

Agents 10,468 

Bookkeepers  and  accountants 72,896 

Clerks  and  copyists 81,000 

Merchants  and  dealers  (retail) 33*825 

Packers  and  shippers 17,052 

Saleswomen 142,265 

Stenographers  and  typewriters 85,086 

Telegraph  and  telephone  operators       ....  21,980 

Others  in  trade  and  transportation 16,587 

Manufacturing  and  mechanical  pursuits   ....  1,199,452 

Bookbinders J4,3O3 

Boot,  and  shoemakers,  and  repairers    ....  36,490 

Boxmakers  (paper) 14,498 

Confectioners 7,805 

Glovemakers 7,170 

Gold-  and  silver-workers 5,767 

Paper-  and  pulp-mill  operatives 8,709 

Printers,  lithographers,  presswomen     ....  1 5,353 

Rubber -factory  operatives 6,945 

Textile-mill  operatives 231,458 

Carpet-factory  operatives 8,332 

Cotton-mill  operatives 97,i8i 

Hosiery  and  knitting-mill  operatives      .     .     .  28,293 

Silk-mill  operatives 26,432 

Woolen-mill  operatives 27,169 

Other  textile-mill  operatives 44,051 

Textile  workers 675,255 


104  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

Dressmakers 338,144 

Hat-  and  cap-makers 7»°49 

Milliners 82,936 

Seamstresses 138,728 

Shirt-,  collar-,  and  cuff-makers 27,781 

Tailoresses 61,573 

Other  textile  workers 19*045 

Tobacco  and  cigar  operatives 37>!24 

Other  manufacturing  and  mechanical  pursuits  .  138,574 

The  above  table  presents  many  interesting 
points.  It  is  rather  surprising  to  the  average 
reader  to  learn  that  there  are  over  seven  hun- 
dred thousand  women  in  the  United  States  en- 
gaged in  the  different  departments  of  agricul- 
ture, and  that  over  four  thousand  of  these  are 
farmers,  planters,  and  overseers.  On  the  con- 
trary, to  read  that  there  are  over  three  hundred 
thousand  teachers  and  professors  in  colleges 
surprises  no  one.  It  seems  fitting  that  nearly 
two  million  women  are  engaged  in  domestic  and 
personal  service,  while  about  one  fourth  of  that 
number  are  listed  under  "  Trade  and  Transpor- 
tation." Over  one  million  are  employed  in  man- 
ufacturing and  in  mechanical  pursuits,  and 
nearly  half  that  number  are  engaged  in  "  Pro- 
fessional Service." 

The  conclusion  reached  from  a  study  of  these 
figures  would  be  that  the  greater  number  of 
women  are  still  engaged  in  what  we  have  been 
accustomed  to  call  "  woman's  work,"  but  that 
there  are  few  occupations  in  which  women  are 
not  found  in  large  numbers. 


XVIII 

FAMOUS   WOMEN   WORKERS 

IT  is  interesting  and  helpful  to  one  who  is 
obliged  to  make  her  way  in  the  world  by  means 
of  daily  work,  faithfully  and  skillfully  performed, 
to  find  ample  proof  in  the  pages  of  biography 
that  all  the  women  whom  the  world  delights  to 
honor  have  been  great  workers ;  sometimes  of 
necessity,  and  sometimes  because  of  the  love 
of  working  for  the  good  of  others,  or  to  develop 
some  special  talent,  which,  thus  used  has  given 
delight  to  great  numbers  of  persons. 

It  is  only  by  the  most  indefatigable  work  that 
the  greatest  musicians,  artists,  authors,  and 
scientists  have  been  able  to  present  their  splen- 
did ideas  and  achievements  to  the  world. 

Madame  Marchesi,  a  wonderfully  successful 
teacher  of  singing,  and  the  instructor  of  the 
great  operatic  stars,  Melba,  Eames,  Calve", 
Gerster,  and  many  others,  was  a  tremendous 
worker  and  would  not  retain  as  a  pupil  anyone 
who,  through  careless  work  or  through  indolence, 
failed  to  do  her  best.  This  teacher  says  of 
Madame  Melba,  "  She  was  one  of  my  most  in- 
dustrious scholars." 


106  VOCATIONS   FOR   GIRLS 

Calve*  writes  her  teacher  as  follows  :  "  I  must 
tell  you  that  I  am  making  great  progress,  not 
only  as  a  singer,  but  also  as  an  actress,  for  I 
have  worked  hard  at  my  part." 

Among  great  artists,  we  find  Rosa  Bonheur, 
working  day  after  day  from  morning  until  night 
at  her  favorite  but  difficult  task  of  animal  paint- 
ing. We  read  that  she  worked  steadily  for  eigh- 
teen months  upon  her  masterpiece,  the  Horse 
Fair. 

The  great  scientist,  Madame  Curie,  toiled  in 
her  laboratory  for  many  years  before  her  dis- 
coveries in  regard  to  the  properties  of  radium 
rewarded  her  efforts. 

Julia  Ward  Howe,  whose  memory  all  America 
loves  to  honor,  worked  as  a  lecturer,  writer,  and 
director  of  many  philanthropic  associations,  un- 
til her  death  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

In  literature,  Louisa  M.  Alcott  worked  brain 
and  hand  almost  ceaselessly  for  many  years  while 
writing  h  er  delightful  books.  Lucy  Larcom  wrote 
many  of  her  best  poems  while  she  was  an  op- 
erative in  a  Lowell  mill.  Mrs.  Kate  Douglas 
Wiggin  was  an  enthusiastic  kindergartner  before 
she  gave  her  entire  time  to  the  writing  of  her 
charming  stories.  Clara  Barton,  founder  of  the 
Red  Cross  Society,  was  said  never  to  be  idle. 
Florence  Nightingale,  though  of  a  wealthy 
family,  gave  unlimited  time  and  toil  to  her  work 


FAMOUS   WOMEN   WORKERS  107 

in  behalf  of  the  soldiers  and  in  founding  better 
hospitals.  Jane  Addams  has  spent  many  years 
of  her  life  in  the  attempt  to  promote  social  well- 
being.  Many  women  of  wealth,  who  might  if 
they  desired  spend  their  life  in  idleness,  fill  all 
their  days  with  worthy  work  for  others. 

And  thus  all  girl  workers  may  feel  them- 
selves members  of  a  very  noble  army  when  they 
go  forth  to  their  daily  work.  It  is  a  good  thing 
for  them  to  remember  that,  "  If  you  have  great 
talents,  industry  will  improve  them  ;  if  not  won- 
derful abilities,  industry  will  supply  the  defi- 
ciency." 

Carlyle  impresses  upon  us  the  dignity  of  all 
work,  when  he  says,  "  All  true  work  is  sacred  ; 
in  all  true  work,  were  it  but  true  hand-labor, 
there  is  something  of  divineness." 

In  a  recent  address  at  the  commencement 
exercises  of  a  college  for  women,  Mr.  Herbert 
Putnam,  Librarian  of  Congress,  said:  "The 
power  within  for  which  you  are  responsible  is 
the  power  to  work.  The  idea  suggests  dignity, 
privilege,  obligation.  It  implies  a  benefit  to  so- 
ciety, and  calls  for  the  development  of  self,  the 
application  of  one's  own  individual  power  to 
some  useful  activity." 


XIX 

CONCLUSION 

IN  these  pages  the  writers  have  endeavored 
to  point  out  some  of  the  more  common  occupa- 
tions that  give  opportunity  for  service  and  a  com- 
fortable living  wage  for  the  girl  who  cannot  take 
a  long  and  costly  course  of  training. 

There  are  many  other  vocations  that  will  ap- 
peal to  different  individuals.  Some  of  these  are : 
Work  in  certain  departments  of  textile  factories, 
salaries  varying  according  to  skill  of  operators  ; 
proof  reading,  salary  about  twelve  dollars  per 
week,  but  broadening  work  in  which  there  is 
much  opportunity  for  self-improvement;  gov- 
ernment clerkships,  purely  clerical  work,  paying 
from  about  seven  hundred  to  nine  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year.  These  clerkships  may  be  secured 
by  taking  a  civil  service  examination.  The  can- 
didate must  be  a  good  penman  and  speller 
and  an  accurate  copyist. 

Many  girls  find  employment  by  doing  prac- 
tical forms  of  art  work  such  as  designing  tex- 
tiles, wall  papers,  fashion  plates,  book-covers, 
and  posters.  A  girl  with  a  decided  artistic  talent 
can  prepare  for  this  work  in  the  courses  in 


CONCLUSION  109 

design  in  a  first-class  high  school.  The  salary 
varies  greatly,  but  high-grade  work  in  design 
is  always  remunerative. 

For  the  self-respecting,  energetic  girl  of  fair 
natural  ability,  there  are  many  vocations  in 
which  a  satisfactory  living  wage  can  be  secured 
under  pleasant  conditions.  The  school  and  the 
home  should  cooperate  in  determining  the  nat- 
ural bent  of  each  pupil,  and  she  should  be  given 
a  good  general  training  with  the  emphasis  laid 
along  the  lines  of  her  most  decided  talent  or 
promise. 

It  is  necessary,  also,  that  the  occupation  and 
the  particular  place  of  employment  of  each  girl 
should  be  studied  very  carefully,  both  by  the 
girl  herself  and  also  by  those  who  are  respons- 
ible for  giving  her  vocational  information. 


APPENDIX 

WHAT  GREAT  AUTHORS  HAVE 
SAID  ABOUT  WORK 

(For  memorizing  or  for  discussion) 

THERE  is  a  perpetual  nobleness  in  work.  There 
is  always  hope  in  a  man  that  works :  in  idleness 
alone  is  there  perpetual  despair.  Blessed  is  he  who  ^ 
has  found  his  work ;  let  him  ask  no  other  blessed- 
ness. All  true  work  is  sacred ;  in  all  true  work,  were 
it  but  hand-labor,  there  is  something  of  divineness. 
Sweat  of  the  brow ;  and  up  from  that  to  sweat  of 
the  brain,  sweat  of  the  heart ;  this  is  the  noblest 
thing  yet  discovered  under  God's  sky.  —  CARLYLE. 

I  know  what  pleasure  is  for  I  have  done  good 
work.  —  STEVENSON. 

Not  doing  more  than  the  average  is  what  keeps 
the  average  down.  —  Anon. 

Whenever  the  arts  and  labors  of  life  are  fulfilled 
in  the  spirit  of  striving  against  misrule,  and  doing 
whatever  we  have  to  do,  honorably  and  perfectly, 
they  invariably  bring  happiness,  as  much  as  seems 
possible.  —  RUSKIN. 

Ascending  from  lowest  to  highest,  through  every 
scale  of  human  industry,  that  industry,  worthily 
followed,  gives  peace.  —  RUSKIN. 


112  APPENDIX 

Nothing  great  was  ever  achieved  without  enthu- 
siasm. —  EMERSON. 

Unless  a  man  has  trained  himself  for  his  chance, 
the  chance  will  only  make  him  ridiculous. 

—  MATTHEWS. 

There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men 

Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune  j 

Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life 

Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries. 

And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 

Or  lose  our  ventures. 

—  SHAKESPEARE. 

The  latest  Gospel  in  this  world  is,  "  Know  thy 
work  and  do  it."  —  CARLYLE. 

To  improve  the  golden  moment  of  opportunity 
and  catch  the  good  that  is  within  our  reach  is  the 
great  art  of  life.  —  JOHNSON. 

/      Work  for  some  good,  be  it  ever  so  lowly ! 
Labor !  all  labor  is  noble  and  holy. 

—  FRANCES  OSGOOD. 

If  when  for  life's  prizes 
You  're  running,  you  trip, 
Get  up,  start  again,  — 
Keep  a  stiff  upper  lip  ! 

—  PHOEBE  GARY. 

Opportunity  has  hair  in  front,  behind,  she  is  bald ; 
if  you  seize  her  by  the  forelock,  you  may  hold  her ; 
but  if  suffered  to  escape,  not  Jupiter  himself  can 
catch  her  again.  —  From  the  Latin. 


APPENDIX  113 

Do  the  work  that 's  nearest, 
Though  it 's  dull  at  whiles, 
Helping,  when  we  meet  them, 
Lame  dogs  over  stiles. 
See  in  every  hedgerow 
Marks  of  angels'  feet, 
Epics  in  each  pebble 
Underneath  our  feet. 

—  KINGSLEY. 

Do  something !  Do  it  soon  !  With  all  thy  might  ; 
An  angel's  wing  would  droop  if  long  at  rest. 

—  WILCOX. 

For  him  who  always  does  his  best, 
His  best  will  better  grow ; 
But  he  who  shirks  or  slights  his  task, 
He  lets  the  better  go. 

—  Anon. 

He  who  is  to  win  the  noblest  successes  in  the 
world  of  affairs  must  continually  educate  himself 
for  larger  grasp  of  principles  and  broader  grasp  of 
conditions.  —  MABIE. 

The  servant  with  this  clause 
Makes  drudgery  divine : 
Who  sweeps  a  room  as  for  Thy  laws 
Makes  that  and  th'  action  fine. 

—  GEORGE  HERBERT. 

Up  to  the  point  of  efficiency,  when  one  is  learn- 
ing a  trade  or  a  profession,  there  is  comparatively 
little  joyousness  in  his  labor ;  but  with  the  conscious- 


H4  APPENDIX 

ness  of  mastery,  of  thorough  knowledge  and  aptness, 
comes  a  feeling  of  strength,  of  self-satisfaction,  of 
superiority,  which  takes  away  all  sense  of  drudgery 
and  makes  the  pursuit  of  one's  occupation  a  source 
of  constant  delight.  —  MATTHEWS. 

Whatever  I  have  tried  to  do  in  my  life,  I  have 
tried  with  all  my  heart  to  do  well.  What  I  have 
devoted  myself  to,  I  have  devoted  myself  to  com- 
pletely. Never  to  put  my  hand  to  anything  on  which 
I  would  not  throw  my  whole  self,  and  never  to  affect 
depreciation  of  my  work,  whatever  it  was,  I  find 
now  to  have  been  my  golden  rules. 

—  CHARLES  DICKENS. 

Round  swings  the  hammer  of  industry,  and  quickly 

the  sharp  chisel  rings, 
And  the  heart  of  the  toiler  has  throbbings  that  stir 

not  the  bosom  of  kings ;  — 
He  the  true  ruler  and  conqueror,  he  the  true  king 

of  his  race, 
Who  nerveth  his  arm  for  life's  combat,  and  looks 

the  strong  world  in  the  face. 

—  DENIS  FLORENCE  MCCARTHY. 

What  men  want  is  not  talent,  it  is  purpose ;  not 
the  power  to  achieve,  but  the  will  to  labor. 

—  BULWER  LYTTON. 

No  man  is  born  into  the  world  whose  work 
Is  not  born  with  him  ;  there  is  always  work, 
And  tools  to  work  withal,  for  those  who  will ; 
And  blessed  are  the  horny  hands  of  toil. 

—  LOWELL. 


APPENDIX  US 

If  little  labor,  little  are  our  gains, 
Man's  fortunes  are  according  to  his  pains. 

—  HERRICK. 

Work  gives  balance  and  regularity  to  all  the 
movements  of  the  soul  It  drives  all  diseased  fancies 
out  of  the  mind.  The  condition,  however,  is  that  it 
shall  be  really  work,  not  the  show  of  it ;  that  we 
shall  put  ourselves  wholly  into  it  for  the  time ;  that 
we  shall  not  work  mechanically  nor  reluctantly,  but 
with  our  thoughts  present,  our  heart  in  it,  as  well 
as  our  hands.  —  JAMES  FREEMAN  CLARKE. 

Be  strong,  all  ye  people  of  the  land,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  work  j  for  I  am  with  you,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts.  —  Haggai,  n,  4. 

Be  strong  by  choosing  wisely  what  to  do  \  be 
strong  by  doing  well  what  you  have  chosen. 

—  S.  OSGOOD. 

Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard,  consider  her  ways 
and  be  wise.  —  Proverbs •,  vi,  6. 

The  dignity  and  permanence  of  work  depend 
upon  the  power  and  might  of  the  worker.  —  MABIE. 

When  one  comes  up  to  the  mark  set  for  himself, 
it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  the  standard  was  too  low. 

— Anon. 

Miss  not  the  occasion ;  by  the  forelock  take 
That  subtle  power,  the  never-halting  time. 

—  WORDSWORTH. 


Il6  APPENDIX 

The  modern  majesty  consists  in  work.  What  a 
man  can  do  is  his  greatest  ornament.  —  CARLYLE. 

Be  sure  no  earnest  work 
Of  any  honest  creature,  howbeit  weak, 
Imperfect,  ill  adapted,  fails  so  much, 
It  is  not  gathered,  as  a  grain  of  sand 
For  carrying  out  God's  end. 

—  E.  B.  BROWNING. 

All  good  work  is  essentially  done  —  without  hesi- 
tation, without  difficulty,  without  boasting.  —  Anon. 

Laboring  towards  distant  aims  sets  the  mind  in  a 
higher  key,  and  puts  us  at  our  best.  —  PARKHURST. 

Let  us  then  be  up  and  doing, 
With  a  heart  for  any  fate ; 

Still  achieving,  still  pursuing, 
Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait. 

—  LONGFELLOW. 

Deem  not  thy  toil  obscure  ; 
It  shall  have  lustre,  being  rarely  done ; 
Not  ours  to  choose,  but  ours  to  use  aright 
The  gifts  of  God,  or  ten  or  only  one. 

—  Anon. 

Labor,  wide  as  the  earth,  for  its  summit  is  heaven. 

—  CARLYLE. 

To  labor  rightly  and  earnestly  is  to  walk  in  the 
golden  track  that  leads  to  God.  —  J.  G.  HOLLAND. 

The  duty  of  labor  is  written  on  a  man's  body ; 
in  the  stout  muscle  of  the  arm,  and  the  delicate 
machinery  of  the  hand.  —  PARKER. 


APPENDIX  117 

Genius  can  never  despise  labor. 

—  ABEL  STEVENS. 

Labor  is  the  law  of  happiness. 

—  ABEL  STEVENS. 

Hitch  your  wagon  to  a  star.  —  EMERSON. 

No  work  that  God  sets  a  man  to  do  —  no  work 
to  which  God  has  especially  adapted  a  man's  powers 
—  can  be  properly  called  either  menial  or  mean. 

—  J.  G.  HOLLAND. 

We  are  not  sent  into  this  world  to  do  anything 
into  which  we  cannot  put  our  hearts.  We  have  cer- 
tain work  to  do  for  our  bread,  and  that  is  to  be 
done  strenuously;  other  work  to  do  for  our  de- 
light, and  that  is  to  be  done  heartily.  Neither  is  to 
be  done  by  halves,  but  with  a  will ;  and  what  is  not 
worth  the  effort  is  not  to  be  done  at  all.  —  Anon. 

The  secret  of  success  in  life  is  for  a  man  to  be 
ready  for  his  opportunity  when  it  comes. 

—  DISRAELI. 

Vigilance  in  watching  opportunity,  tact  and  dar- 
ing in  seizing  opportunity;  force  and  persistence 
in  crowding  opportunity  to  its  utmost  of  possible 
achievement ;  these  are  the  virtues  which  must 
command  success.  —  Anon. 

The  best  way  to  live  well  is  to  work  well.  Good 
work  is  the  daily  test  and  safeguard  of  personal 
health.  —  MORTIMER  GRANVILLE. 


ii8  APPENDIX 

The  power  of  the  laborer  must  be  equal  to  the 
power  required  by  his  task,  or  his  labor  will  con- 
quer nothing.  Set  an  ass  to  carry  an  elephant's 
burden  and  his  back  will  be  broken.  The  man  of 
few  brains  cannot  do  the  work  of  the  man  of  many 
brains.  —  J.  G.  HOLLAND. 

A  man  in  earnest  finds  means,  or,  if  he  cannot 
find,  creates  them.  —  CHANNING. 

Dost  thou  love  life,  then  do  not  squander  time, 
for  that  is  the  stuff  life  is  made  of.  —  FRANKLIN. 

Great  works  are  performed  not  by  strength  but 
by  perseverance.  —  JOHNSON. 

In  all  human  action  those  faculties  will  be  strong 
which  are  used.  —  EMERSON. 

+~  One  to-day  is  worth  two  to-morrows.  —  Anon. 

The  winds  and  waves  are  always  on  the  side  of 
the  ablest  navigator.  —  GIBBON. 

Work  is  the  inevitable  condition  of  human  life, 
the  true  source  of  human  welfare.  —  TOLSTOY. 

Honest  toil  is  holy  service ;  faithful  work  is  praise 
and  prayer.  —  HENRY  VAN  DYKE. 


QUESTIONS   ON   THE   TEXT 
CHAPTER  I 

WHAT  is  said  of  the  number  of  working-girls  who 
enter  a  great  city  each  morning  ? 

What  is  their  general  appearance  ? 

Name  some  of  the  vocations  in  which  these  girls 
are  employed. 

What  is  the  equipment  of  this  working-women's 
army? 

To  what  does  the  thought  of  competition  lead  ? 

Why  does  one  think  hopefully  of  the  training  of 
working-girls  ? 

Why  do  some  girls  fail  of  success  in  their  vocation? 

What  two  kinds  of  knowledge  are  required  by 
the  girl  who  would  succeed  in  her  work  ? 

Why  is  vocational  guidance  now  given  in  the 
schools  ? 

What  happens  when  the  choice  of  a  vocation  is 
made  without  careful  thought  ? 

What  are  the  tests  of  one's  fitness  for  one's 
work  ? 

CHAPTER  II 

To  what  type  of  girl  does  the  work  of  a  salesgirl 
often  appeal  ? 

What  type  do  store  managers  seek  ? 

Describe  the  appearance  of  a  successful  sales- 
girl ?  What  two  characteristics  must  she  possess  ? 


120  APPENDIX 

What  is  said  of  schools  of  salesmanship  ?  Of 
salesmanship  as  a  profession  ? 

What  is  the  lowest  position  that  a  girl  takes 
upon  entering  a  store  ?  What  qualities  are  most 
demanded  here  ?  What  pay  is  received  ? 

What  is  the  next  upward  step  in  the  work  of  sales- 
manship ?  What  special  qualities  are  demanded  of 
the  cashiers  and  bundle  girls  ? 

Why  should  a  salesgirl  be  attentive  and  courteous 
to  customers  ? 

What  are  the  qualifications  of  a  successful  sales- 
girl ? 

Describe  ways  in  which  she  may  help  the  cus- 
tomer. What  is  said  of  the  value  of  suggestion? 
What  must  the  clerk  get  from  the  customer  ? 

What  is  the  result  of  inattention  on  the  part  of 
the  clerk  ? 

Should  only  new  goods  be  shown?  Why  not?  Why 
should  the  salesgirl  say,  "Will  you  take  this  parcel?" 

On  what  basis  is  a  salesgirl's  salary  ? 

What  is  the  work  and  salary  of  the  person 
who  is  called  Head  of  Stock  ?  Assistant  Buyer  ? 
Buyer  ? 

What  are  some  of  the  disadvantages  of  a  sales- 
girl's life  ? 

Compare  these  disadvantages  with  those  found 
in  other  work. 

What  opportunities  has  the  salesgirl  ?  What  mis- 
take does  she  sometimes  make  ? 

What  is  the  greatest  factor  in  the  prosperity  of 
any  store  ? 


APPENDIX  121 

What  is  said  of  Schools  of  Salesmanship  ? 

Compare  the  rewards  of  a  successful  salesgirl 
with  those  of  women  in  other  work. 

What  is  said  of  the  social  position  of  a  salesgirl  ? 

Why  should  a  salesgirl  have  an  avocation  ? 

What  classes  of  people  welcome  the  new  era  in 
salesmanship  ? 

What  is  a  good  motto  in  any  work  ? 

Contrast  condition  of  work  in  different  stores. 


CHAPTER  III 

What  are  the  essential  qualifications  of  a  suc- 
cessful stenographer  ? 

What  care  should  be  taken  in  selecting  a  school  ? 

What  is  said  of  a  six  weeks'  course  ? 

What  is  the  test  of  a  good  school  ? 

To  what  should  the  selection  of  a  system  be 
secondary  ? 

What  is  said  of  work  for  the  Government  ?  Of 
civil  service  examinations  ? 

What  are  the  duties  of  a  stenographer  with  a  low 
salary  ? 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  stenographer  who 
earns  from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  per  week  ? 

Describe  the  stenographer  who  can  fill  the  high- 
est office  position. 

What  are  the  qualifications  of  the  private  secre- 
tary? 

What  is  said  of  the  work  of  a  public  steno- 
grapher ?  Of  a  hotel  stenographer  ? 


122  APPENDIX 

What  are  the  duties  and  special  qualifications  of 
the  social  secretary  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  work  of  the  typist  who  is  not 
a  stenographer  ?  Of  the  expert  typist  ? 

Upon  what  subjects  should  a  stenographer  spe- 
cialize ? 

CHAPTER  IV 

Where  are  there  telephone  schools?  What  is 
taught  there  ?  How  does  the  girl  in  a  small  town 
get  her  training  ? 

Qualifications  of  the  operator  ? 

What  percentage  of  the  applicants  are  rejected  ? 

What  are  the  wages  of  the  general  operator? 
Supervisor  ?  Chief  operator  ? 

What  is  said  of  work  in  private  exchanges  ? 

Why  is  good  health  a  necessity  to  the  telephone 
operator  ? 

Name  some  of  the  advantages  of  the  operator  ? 

How  long  are  the  working  hours  of  the  operators 
in  your  city  ? 

CHAPTER  V 

What  are  some  of  the  unpleasant  features  of  fac- 
tory life  ? 

What  study  should  be  made  before  entering  upon 
work  in  a  manufacturing  establishment? 

Describe  the  manufactory  where  window  drap- 
eries are  made.  What  do  the  management  believe  in 
regard  to  the  health  of  the  employees  ?  What  ar- 
rangement is  made  with  a  near-by  school  ? 


APPENDIX  123 

What  is  said  of  the  term  of  service  of  employees 
in  paper-box  factory  described  ?  What  of  the  wages  ? 
Why  do  employees  remain  in  this  establishment 
many  years  ? 

What  provisions  does  a  certain  great  factory 
make  for  the  comfort  of  its  employees  ?  What  is 
said  of  the  cost  of  living  at  one  of  the  factory  board- 
ing-houses ?  Describe  the  work  of  the  Relief  Asso- 
ciation. What  wages  do  the  girls  in  the  factory 
receive  ?  What  qualifications  are  necessary  ?  Name 
some  of  the  advantages  of  the  work.  Tell  some- 
thing of  the  achievements  of  the  young  Greek  girl, 
and  of  what  was  done  by  other  superior  girls  among 
the  operatives. 

Why  is  it  difficult  to  make  general  statements  in 
regard  to  factory  conditions  ?  In  what  kind  of  fac- 
tory is  it  unsafe  to  work  ? 


CHAPTER  VI 

What  is  the  best  field  for  effort  in  cooking  ? 

What  is  said  of  cooking  for  the  sick  ?  Cooking 
to  fill  special  orders  ? 

Tell  of  the  success  of  the  young  woman  who 
established  a  tea-room  in  a  college  town. 

What  training  should  a  cooking-school  teacher 
have  ?  What  is  said  of  training  for  higher  positions  ? 

How  does  the  demand  for  cooking-school  teach- 
ers compare  with  the  supply  ? 

Name  some  of  the  duties  of  a  supervisor  of  do- 
mestic science. 


124  APPENDIX 

CHAPTER  VII 

What  are  the  qualifications  of  a  good  nurse  ? 

What  did  the  head  nurse  of  a  great  city  hospital 
say  was  the  chief  qualification  of  a  successful 
nurse  ? 

Why  should  a  nurse  be  extremely  careful  as  to  her 
personal  appearance  ? 

At  what  age  may  training  begin  ?  Why  should  a 
nurse  be  a  well-read  woman  ? 

Describe  the  work  of  the  training-school. 

What  is  said  of  a  nurse's  surety  of  employment  ? 
Salary?  Expenses? 

Describe  the  work  of  a  nurse  in  a  private  school 
or  institution. 

What  is  the  greatest  reward  of  a  nurse  ? 

What  is  the  work  of  a  nursemaid  ? 

What  are  the  special  qualifications  of  a  nurse- 
maid ? 

Where  can  a  nursemaid's  course  be  taken  ? 

What  is  the  nursemaid's  position  in  the  house- 
hold ?  Wages  ? 

What  is  the  work  of  a  mother's  helper  ? 

CHAPTER  VIII 

What  is  said  of  the  girl  who  is  a  deft  sewer  ? 

What  is  the  work  and  remuneration  of  the  seam- 
stress ? 

How  may  one  prepare  to  become  a  dressmaker  ? 
What  is  the  most  satisfactory  part  of  dressmaking  ? 


APPENDIX  125 

What  is  said  of  the  work  of  a  sewing-teacher  ? 
Of  schools  of  dressmaking  in  department  stores  ? 

Why  must  a  milliner  be  a  good  financial  man- 
ager? 

Describe  the  steps  in  the  work  of  a  milliner's 
apprentice.  What  disadvantages  has  the  work  ? 
Advantages  ? 

CHAPTER  IX 

How  does  the  successful  teacher  of  to-day  differ 
from  the  typical  teacher  of  preceding  generations  ? 

What  are  her  special  characteristics  ? 

Why  is  intense  study  of  the  individual  pupil 
necessary  ? 

What  do  we  mean  by  "  misfits  "  ? 

Where  must  the  emphasis  be  placed  in  teaching 
the  individual  pupil  ? 

Why  does  the  rural  school  demand  special  treat- 
ment ? 

What  qualification  is  demanded  in  the  successful 
teacher  ? 

What  is  said  of  a  teacher's  financial  and  other 
rewards  ? 

What  should  the  teacher  always  study  ? 

Who  are  the  greatest  teachers  ? 

What  are  Emerson's  words  ? 

What  efforts  at  self-improvement  should  the 
teacher  make  ? 

What  advantages  has  she  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  school  as  a  social  center  ? 


126  APPENDIX 

CHAPTER  X 

How  may  kindergarten  training  be  secured,  and 
what  are  the  advantages  of  this  method  ? 

What  are  a  kindergartner's  qualifications  ?  Her 
rewards  ?  Development  in  character  ? 

What  qualification  does  a  private  kindergarten 
need  to  possess  ?  ' 

What  type  of  girl  had  better  not  become  a  kinder- 
gartner  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  Montessori  System?  What 
comparison  is  made  by  Professor  Holmes  ? 

CHAPTER  XI 

What  is  said  of  the  lure  of  the  library  ?  The  sal- 
ary ?  The  method  of  securing  employment  ? 

What  are  the  first  duties  of  the  learner  ? 

What  are  the  pleasures  of  working  in  a  library  ? 

What  expert  testimony  is  given  as  to  the  disad- 
vantages ? 

How  is  the  library  like  a  miniature  world  ? 

CHAPTER  XII 

What  four  reasons  are  given  why  girls  dislike  to 
enter  a  household  as  a  domestic  ? 

By  what  method  of  work  could  a  self-respecting 
girl  enter  a  family  to  perform  household  work  ? 

What  special  tasks  could  she  perform  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  future  of  domestic  service  ? 
Illustrate  this  fact. 


APPENDIX  127 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Speak  of  the  causes  for  congratulation  of  the 
women  of  this  generation. 

Why  do  many  girls  who  remain  at  home  through 
the  day  feel  dissatisfied  with  their  work  ? 

What  opportunities  has  the  girl  in  the  home  to 
develop  intellectually  ? 

What  incentive  will  cause  a  girl  to  take  interest 
in  the  work  of  the  home  ? 

What  is  said  of  economy  in  the  home  ? 

Should  the  girl  in  the  home  receive  wages? 
Under  what  conditions?  What  are  her  other  re- 
wards ? 

What  is  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  successful 
homekeeper  ? 

Describe  the  home  life  of  the  Colonial  girl. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

What  advantage  has  the  country  girl  over  the 
girl  in  the  city  ? 

Describe  the  conditions  under  which  gardening 
would  be  successful. 

Describe  the  work  of  a  Cape  Cod  girl.  Of  a 
Wellesley  graduate. 

What  is  said  of  chicken  raising?  Cooking  for 
campers  ?  Acting  as  a  guide  ?  Work  in  the  arts  and 
crafts  ?  Success  of  a  tea-room  ?  Positions  in  country 
villages  ? 

Why  should  a  girl  be  thankful  that  her  work  is  in 
the  country  ? 


128  APPENDIX 

CHAPTER  XV 

How  is  a  girl's  real  character  best  revealed  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  opportunities  of  the  girl  who 
lives  at  home  ? 

What  were  the  avocations  of  a  group  of  factory 
girls  ?  Of  two  country  girls  ? 

What  is  an  ideal  avocation  for  anyone  ? 

In  what  way  may  the  avocation  lead  to  the 
vocation  ? 

Speak  of  the  advantages  of  study  as  an  avocation. 

What  is  said  of  the  coal  merchant's  avocation? 
The  banker's  ?  Several  noted  persons'  ? 

CHAPTER  XVI 

What  qualities  lead  to  success  in  any  vocation  ? 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "  efficiency  "  ?  What 
is  the  difference  between  the  girl  who  fails  and  the 
one  who  succeeds  ? 

Describe  the  conduct  of  the  efficient  girl  in  an 
emergency. 

What  are  the  steps  that  lead  to  efficiency? 

What  is  the  personal  appearance  of  the  success- 
ful girl  ? 

What  is  tact,  and  how  does  it  help  in  any  voca- 
tion? 

What  is  said  of  the  willingness  to  assume  respon- 
sibility ?  What  of  the  employer's  sense  of  responsi- 
bility ? 

What  cooperation  of  employer  and  employee  is 
needed  ? 


APPENDIX  129 

CHAPTER  XVII 

How  many  women  farmers  are  there  in  the 
United  States  ? 

How  many  women  in  the  professions  ? 

How  many  milliners  ? 

In  what  vocations  not  formerly  filled  by  them  are 
women  coming  to  the  front  ? 

In  what  general  class  of  occupations  are  they 
still  found  in  greatest  numbers  ? 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

What  did  Madame  Marchesi  say  of  her  famous 
pupils  ? 

What  does  this  prove  ? 

Name  other  noted  women  who  were  great  workers. 

What  encouragement  does  this  testimony  give 
the  girl  worker  ? 

CHAPTER  XIX 

What  is  said  of  the  salary  and  other  advantages 
of  a  proof  reader  ? 

How  are  government  clerkships  secured  ? 

What  are  the  necessary  qualifications  of  the 
government  clerk  ? 

What  field  is  there  for  work  in  design  ?  Salary  in 
design  work  ? 

What  should  the  school  and  home  together  deter- 
mine? 

Where  should  the  emphasis  in  the  individual's 
training  be  laid  ? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

AT  the  present  time  (1912)  there  is  almost  no 
literature  bearing  directly  upon  the  subject  of  voca- 
tions for  the  girl  who  must  leave  school  at  an  early 
age.  Some  valuable  works  upon  vocations  in  gen- 
eral are :  — 

1.  The  Girl  Who  Earns  Her  Own  Living,  by 

Anna  S.  Richardson :  B.  W.  Dodge,  New 
York. 

2.  Women  and  the  Trades,  by  Elizabeth  Beard- 

sley  Butler:  Charities  Publication,  New 
York. 

3.  Vocational  Guidance  of  Youth,  by  Meyer 

Bloomfield :  Houghton  Mifflin  Company, 
Boston. 

Other  books  bearing  upon  subjects  discussed  in 
the  chapters  of  this  book  are :  — 

Handbook  of  Home  Economics,  by  Etta  Proc- 
tor Flagg :  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  Boston. 

Educational  Needlecraft,  by  Margaret  Swanson 
and  Ann  Macbeth  :  Longmans,  Green  &  Co., 
New  York. 

New  Demands  in  Education,  by  James  Phinney 
Munroe :  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  New 
York. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  131 

Montessori    Method,  by  Maria    Montessori, 

translated   from    the    Italian   by   Anne   E. 

George  :  F.  A.  Stokes  Company,  New  York. 
Farm  Boys  and  Girls,  by  William  A.  McKeever : 

The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 
Some  helpful  books  upon  home-making  are :  — 
Domestic  Service,  by  Lucy  M.  Salmon. 
Home  Nursing,  Harrison. 
The     Woman    Who    Spends,  by    Bertha    J. 

Richardson. 

Domestic  Science,  by  Ida  Hood  Clark. 
Art  of  Right  Living,  by  Ellen  H.  Richards. 
The  Complete  Home,  by  Clara  E.  Laughlin. 
The   Home   Progress   Magazine:    Houghton 

Mifflin  Company,  Boston. 
Making  Home  Profitable,  Kate  V.  Saint  Maur. 

Any  telephone  school  will  furnish  pamphlets  as 
to  conditions  in  telephone  work. 

The  United  States  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor,  the  Bureau  of  Education,  and  the  Census 
Department  will  all  furnish  reports  giving  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  vocations. 

A  series  of  pamphlets  compiled  by  the  Girls 
Trade  Education  League  of  Boston  gives  informa- 
tion as  to  conditions  of  work  for  girls  in  that  city. 

Some  of  the  subjects  discussed  are  :  — 

Telephone  Operating  j 
Bookbinding ; 

Stenography  and  Typewriting ; 
Nursery  Maid ; 


132  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Dressmaking ; 

Millinery ; 

Straw-Hat-making ; 

Manicuring  and  Hairdressing ; 

Salesmanship ; 

Clothing-Machine-operating ; 

Paper-Box-making. 

The  reports  of  the  meetings  of  the  National 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Industrial  Education, 
New  York,  contain  valuable  information  in  regard 
to  conditions  of  work  and  the  training  of  the  worker. 


OUTLINE 

I.  FOREWORD 

PAGE 

1.  Great  Number  of  Working-Girls     .....  I 

2.  Many  Vocations  represented I 

3.  Competition  suggested 2 

4.  Appearance  of  Efficiency  indicates  Thorough 

Training 2 

5.  Great  Numbers  of  Failures  in  Vocations     .    .  2 

6.  Vocational  Training  for  Girls 2 

7.  Misfits 2 

8.  Vocation  not  given  Sufficient  Thought    ...  4 

II.  SALESMANSHIP 

1.  Kind  of    Salesgirl    Store   Managers  wish  to 

secure  $ 

2.  Schools  of  Salesmanship 5 

3.  Work  of  Marker    ...........  6 

4.  Stock  Girl :    .     .     .     .     .  7 

5.  Cashier  and  Bundle  Girl y 

6.  Work  of  Salesgirl 7 

7.  Head  of  Stock 9 

8.  Assistant  Buyer 9 

9.  Buyer 9 

10.  Salaries  of  Buyers 9 

1 1.  Disadvantages  of  Work  compared  with  Advant- 

ages    9 

12.  Opportunity  for  Study  of  Human  Nature    .     .  10 

13.  Schools  for  increasing  the  Efficiency  of  Clerks  n 


134  OUTLINE 

14.  Social  Position  of  a  Clerk II 

15.  Higher  Qualifications  of  Clerks 12 

1 6.  Cooperation  of  Public- Spirited  Persons  with 

Best  Types  of  Stores 12 

III.  STENOGRAPHY  AND   TYPEWRITING 

1.  Essential  Qualifications  for  a  Stenographer.     .  14 

2.  Spelling 14 

3.  English 14 

4.  Selection  of  a  School 15 

5.  Shorthand  Systems 16 

6.  Great  Number  of  Openings  fora  Stenographer  17 

7.  Civil  Service  Examination 18 

8.  Stenographer  in  a  Business  Office 18 

9.  The  Position  with  a  Low  Salary 19 

10.  Positions  paying  from  Ten  to  Fifteen  Dollars 

a  Week 19 

11.  The  Highest  Class  of  Office  Positions     ...  20 

12.  Responsibility 20 

13.  Private  Secretary 20 

14.  Public  Stenographer 21 

15.  Hotel  Stenographer 21 

16.  The  Social  Secretary 21 

17.  Work  for  the  Typist  who  is  not  a  Stenographer  22 

1 8.  Average  Salaries  paid  High  School  Graduates  23 

19.  Essential  Qualifications  of  a  Successful  Sten- 

ographer       24 

IV.  THE   TELEPHONE   OPERATOR 

1.  Appeal  to  the  Girl  with  no  Special  Talent    .     .  26 

2.  Schools  for  learning  Work 26 

3.  Qualifications  of  Telephone  Girl 27 

4-  Wages 27 


OUTLINE  135 

5.  Work  in  Private  Exchanges 28 

6.  Opportunity  for  Advancement 28 

7.  Good  Health  a  Necessity 28 

8.  Working-Hours 29 

V.  WORK  IN  A   MANUFACTURING 
ESTABLISHMENT 

1.  Favorable  Types  chosen  for  Description  ...  30 

2.  Undesirable  Features  of  Factory  Life      ...  30 

3.  Impossible  to  generalize  Factory  Conditions    .  31 

4.  Typical  conditions  described 32 

(a)  Manufactory  of  Window  Draperies  .    .  32 

(b)  Paper-Box  Factory •  34 

(c)  Watch  Factory 35 

5.  Possibilities  in  Factory  Life 39 

VI.  COOKING 

1.  The  Field  a  Wide  One 40 

2.  Cooking  for  the  Sick 40 

3.  Cooking  for  a  Salary 41 

4.  Cooking  to  fill  Special  Orders 41 

5.  A  Tea-Room 41 

6.  Cooking-School  Teacher 41 

7.  Salary 42 

8.  Training  for  Higher  Positions 42 

9.  Arduous  Duties  of  a  Supervisor  of  Domestic 

Science 42 

VII.  NURSING 

1.  The  Kind  of  Girl  who  will  make  a  Good  Nurse  44 

2.  Personal  Appearance  of  a  Nurse 44 

3.  Age  at  which  Training  may  begin 45 

4.  A  Nurse  should  be  a  Well-Read  Woman     .    .  45 


136  OUTLINE 

5.  Course  in  the  Training-School 45 

6.  Remuneration      while      learning  —  Hospitals 

differ 46 

7.  Certainty  of  Employment  and  Other  Advan- 

tages       46 

8.  Nurses'  Positions  in  Schools  and  Institutions  46 

9.  A  Convalescent  or  Domestic  Nurse    ....  46 

10.  The  Work  of  a  Nursemaid 47 

11.  Wages 48 

12.  Mother's  Helper 48 

VIII.  SEWING  AND   MILLINERY 

1.  The  Seamstress 49 

2.  The  Dressmaker 49 

3.  Designer  of  Costumes 50 

4.  A  Sewing-Teacher 50 

5.  Work  of  a  Milliner 51 

6.  Wages  received  in  Different  Branches  of  Mil- 

linery       52 

7.  Disadvantages  of  the  Millinery  Business      .    .  52 

8.  Opportunities  for  Advancement 53 

IX.  THE  MODERN  TEACHER 

1.  The  Teacher  of  To-Day 54 

2.  Her  Special  Characteristics 54 

3.  The  Modern  Teacher  must  understand  Chang- 

ing Conditions 55 

4.  Sympathetic  Imagination  needed 56 

5.  Real  Reward  of  Teacher 56 

6.  Who  are  the  Greatest  Teachers  ? 57 

7.  Teacher  as  a  Student 57 

8.  Advantages  of  Rural  Teacher 57 

9.  New  Functions  of  School 59 


OUTLINE  137 

10.  Teacher  a  Social  Power 59 

11.  School  a  Social  Center 59 


X.  KINDERGARTENING  AND   THE 
MONTESSORI   SYSTEM 

1.  How  Kindergarten  Training  may  be  secured  61 

2.  Qualifications  required  of  Kindergartner  .     .     .  61 

3.  Reward  of  Work 62 

4.  Kind  of  Girl  not  fitted  for  a  Kindergartner  .     .  62 

5.  Montessori  System  of  Teaching 64 

XL  LIBRARY    WORK 

1.  The  Lure  of  Library  Work 66 

2.  The  Ideal  Librarian 67 

3.  How  to  get  into  Library  Work 68 

4.  Examination  Necessary  to  secure  a  Position    .  68 

5.  Assistant  in  a  Small  Library 69 

6.  Joys  of  working  in  a  Library 69 

7.  Librarians  give  Advice        70 

8.  Library,  World  in  Miniature 71 

XII.  DOMESTIC  SERVICE 

1.  Unwillingness    of    Girls    to    enter    Domestic 

Service 73 

2.  Possibility  of  Domestic  Service  without  Un- 

desirable Conditions 74 

3.  Wages 74 

4.  Hours 74 

5.  Duties  should  be  well  defined 75 

6.  The  Future  of  Domestic  Service 76 

7.  Great  Demand  for  Competent  Service     ...  77 


138  OUTLINE 

XIII.  THE   GIRL  WHO   STAYS   AT  HOME 

1 .  Fortunate  Conditions  of  Women  of  To-day      .  79 

2.  The  Opportunity  for  Intellectual  Development 

in  the  Home 80 

3.  Interest  in  the  Work  Necessary 81 

4.  Opportunities  to  earn  Spending-Money    ...  82 

5.  Chief  Characteristic  of  the  Successful  Home- 

keeper  83 

6.  The  Colonial  Girl  at  Home 83 

7.  Modern  Girl  has  Wider  Range  of  Interests .    .  85 

XIV.  VOCATIONS  FOR  THE  COUNTRY  GIRL 

1.  Gardening 87 

2.  A  Cape  Cod  Girl's  Work 88 

3.  A  Wellesley  Graduate's  Method  of  earning  a 

Living 88 

4.  Chicken-Raising 88 

5.  Cooking  for  Campers 89 

6.  Work  as  Guide 89 

7.  Arts  and  Crafts 89 

8.  Tea-Rooms 89 

9.  Possibilities  in  the  Country  Village      ....  90 
10.  The  Country  Girls'  Reasons  for  Gratitude    .    .  90 

XV.  VOCATIONS  PLUS  AVOCATIONS 

1.  Real  Character  revealed  by  Use  of  Spare  Time  91 

2.  Avocation  of  Girl  at  Home 91 

3.  Avocations  of  Girls  in  a  Factory  Town    ...  91 

4.  Avocations  of  Two  Country  Girls 92 

5.  What  the  Avocation  should  be 92 

6.  Avocation  Help  to  Fuller  Life 93 


OUTLINE  139 

XVI.  THE   SUCCESSFUL  GIRL 

1.  Foundation  Stones  of  Success 97 

2.  Efficiency 97 

3.  Other  Essentials  of  Success 99 

4.  Employers  share  Responsibility 101 

5.  Physical  Conditions  of  Women  Workers     .    .  101 

6.  Character  and  Right  Physical  Conditions  bring 

Success 101 

XVII.  STATISTICS   ON  VOCATIONS   FOR 
GIRLS 

1.  Information  supplied  by  Department  of  Com- 

merce and  Labor IO2 

2.  Contrasts  in  Table 104 

XVIII.  FAMOUS   WOMEN  WORKERS 

1.  All  Women  honored  by  the  World  have  been 

Great  Workers 105 

2.  Illustrative  Instances 105 

3.  All  Girl  Workers  belong  to  a  Noble  Army  .    .107 

XIX.  CONCLUSION 

1.  Other  Vocations  open  to  Women 108 

2.  Place  of  Employment  must  be  studied     .    .    .109 


NOV  251941 

*»  22  ms 
SEP  12  ,93<  j     JUN  u  m? 

OCT  191 

I 

26Ma>'53ED 


°Cr  ^01935 
*P»   29  1936 

JUL    6  1936 
FEB    1  1939 

FEB     16  1940 


fMri2l9S3ti 

4^n'56PV|/ 
CEC8    1955  LW 
1  Dec'5?CT 

^C'D  LD 

Of  C  f> 


LD  21- 


Y.B  65090 


331085 


^UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


